


Don't go inside the Maze

by MissXara



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27496048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissXara/pseuds/MissXara
Summary: A girl wakes up to the sound of a blazing alarm. She has no memories of her past life and has to find a way to survive everything that is about to happen in this new place called the Glade. Newt/OC Thomas/OC
Relationships: Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s), Thomas (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter One

_"No, let go of me!"_

_Two guards were restraining me and dragging me down a long white hallway. I tried to get out of their grip, but they were just too strong._

_"Don't do this to her, please just let her go!"_

_On the other side of the hallway, two guards were holding on to another girl. Her eyes were watery, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs, just like I was doing._

_"Teresa! Don't let them do this to me!"_

_I cried out in tears as the guards kept dragging me further down the hall. I tried my best to punch one guard in his side, but he just grabbed my arm tighter. I was sure it would leave me with a big bruise._

_Down the hallway, I saw Teresa give up on fighting the guards, the tired look on her face full of defeat. Tears were streaming down her face when we locked eyes. In a pleading voice, I heard her say, "Please don't forget me, Lizzy." Both of us were sobbing while we were being pulled further away from each other by the guards. Would this be the last time I saw my best friend? My heart was breaking, but I had no time to grieve._

_The guards shoved me inside a room and forced me onto a bed, I kept kicking and trying to fight them, and I was sure I had bitten one in his arm. That didn't sit too well with the guard, and he smacked me hard across the face._

_They secured me onto the bed with a few straps so I couldn't move anymore. A blonde-haired woman came into my sight as she got closer and hovered over me. "Please stop fighting us, Elisabeth. You knew this was necessary. Don't make it any harder than it has to be." She lovingly stroked my burning cheek, which made me close my eyes. I couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. "Sedate her. Let's get her ready."_

A loud alarm interrupted my dream and scared the absolute shit out of me. My eyes shot wide open, and my whole body fired up from the ground. What the hell just happened? Images from my dream were fading away, and I couldn't seem to get a hold of them anymore.

_Teresa._

Why was that name so familiar, and why did it seem to ache so much thinking about that name. Her face was sinking far away in my mind. Details of her becoming were becoming unclear.

I pushed myself off the ground. The alarm that woke me up had stopped, but the sound was now being replaced by scraping metal as the cage I was in was moving. The motion caused me to be unstable, so I grabbed on to the wall. It was a rusty metal fence that seemed to be surrounding me.

Where the hell was I? And what the hell had happened to me? My body was hurting all over, and I noticed my bare arms being all bruised up. I couldn't remember how those got there or how I got here.

I was wearing an ugly green colored tank top that looked like I had been wearing it for three weeks. My jeans were also in bad condition, being ripped in several places and dirty from the rusty floor I was on before. It was dark in here, the only light coming from above.

I slammed my hands against the metal a few times. "Hello?! Is anybody there?!" I started screaming but got no response. The space I was in was hot and moist, causing me to have little droplets of sweat running down my body. When I looked up, I noticed there was a ceiling closing in. I thought I was going to smash right into it, but the cage I was in started to slow down. What the hell was going to happen now? I started moving around, trying to get a better look at my surroundings when I suddenly heard voices coming from above.

"The box is late today, guys. Wonder what kind of slinthead they sent us this time."

"Wonder what the greenie will look like."

"Why? Are you hoping for a pretty boy?"

I heard people laughing at the last remark. Slinthead? What the hell is a slinthead, and who are those people outside. The box, as they called it, came to a sudden halt, which made me lose my balance and landed me flat on my butt. Ouch, the fall made my sore muscles hurt even more than my presumably now also bruised butt.

"Let's open the box, boys."

When the ceiling of the box opened up, I couldn't handle the sudden amount of sunshine. I turned my head away and buried my face in my arm to try and block the light. I hadn't even noticed just how dark the box was. I slowly lowered my arm from my face so that my eyes could adjust to the sunlight.

"Shuck, the dude has some long hair."

Someone said, and I turned around to see who was talking. I was in shock when I saw a bunch of boys standing around the box I was in, and they were all looking down at me.

"Where the hell am I?" I blurted out loudly. One of the boys responded but not with an answer.

"Holy klunk, it's a girl!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_"Where the hell am I?" I blurted out loudly. One of the boys responded but not with an answer. "Holy klunk, it's a girl."_

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Now tell me where the hell I am."

One of the boys jumped down inside the box, causing the cage to shake. His action startled me, and I took a step backward. He was tall compared to me, and he was very muscular. To be honest, he scared me. I took another step backward and was now with my back against the wall.

"Day one, green bean. Welcome to the glade." He said to me as he took a step towards me.

"Don't come near me, or I swear I will kick your ass." The boys above us starting laughing, and the boy in front of me cracked a smile. "I'm not here to hurt you, girl. I'm here to help you get out of the box. Or would you rather stay inside here?" He offered his hand to me, but I was hesitating to take it.

"How can I trust you? I don't even know who you guys are." I declared to him as I took a small step towards the boy. His face was dirty like he had been working hard. He had funny looking eyebrows, and something didn't seem quite right with his nose. "It doesn't look like you have another choice, greenie."

He was right about that. What was I going to do here inside a box against all those boys?

"Fine. But I want some explanation." I took his hand, and he led me to the fenced wall. "All in good time, green bean." He said as he put his back against the wall and put his hands together. "Step on my hands, and I'll lift you so you can reach the ledge. Easy peasy."

I grabbed him by his broad shoulders and stepped into his hands with one foot. The guy was packing some serious muscles. It didn't cost him any effort to lift me in the air so that the ledge was now at my chest, and I could get myself out. I planned to run for it as soon as I was on solid ground. These boys must be crazy if they think I'm just going to trust them.

A blonde boy next to me took my arm and helped me up. I gasped when he grabbed me by my arm, where I had a big bruise. "Shuck, I'm sorry. I didn't notice the bruising," he said as he quickly let go of me. I stared daggers at him as I soothed my arm with my hand. "What the shuck happened to you?" he said more to himself than to me as he was eyeing me over, noticing my many other bruises.

"I don't remember what happened. I only know that I woke up inside that box and nothing else." I crossed my arms in a faint attempt to hide my bruises. The other boys were staring at me and quietly talking amongst themselves. "How is he going to get out of there now?" I turned around to look at the brown-haired boy who got me out of there, only to see him take a few steps back and run to the wall. He jumped high enough to get a hold of the ledge and raise himself to the ground. I took a step back to give him some space as he got to his feet. "Pretty impressive," I said to him as he made eye contact with me. "Yeah, well, it's not the first time I had to get a scared greenie out of the box." He said with a smirk as he crossed his arm and straightened his back, making him appear even taller. I scoffed at his remark and turned around to look at my new surroundings.

I was standing in a giant grassy field, surrounded by these four walls with openings in them. I saw those openings as my way out of here. Far away from these boys that were staring at me like I was a piece of meat for them. I even heard some of them calling dibs on me. I took a step backward, turned on my heels, and ran for the wall that was ahead of me. They weren't expecting me to run for it.

"Shuck! Somebody, stop her! She is going for the wall!" I heard some boy scream behind me, as I already put some distance between myself and the group. A few boys came storming after me, yelling for me to stop, but they weren't nearly as fast as me. I ran along the field so quickly that I didn't even see my surroundings. Everything was shooting past me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see how far ahead I was from the group of dumbfounded boys, and that was my big mistake. My sprint of freedom came to an abrupt halt as I slammed into something hard. I thought I misjudged where I was going and had gotten myself to slam into the wall, but walls don't cry out when you slam into them.

"What the hell!" I heard the Asian boy cry out as my body slammed into his. I was going so fast when I slammed into him, I made us both fall over, and I was now lying on top of said Asian boy. The impact caused my head to hurt and blurred my sight. I was starting to become dizzy. "Oh my god, are you made out of stone or something?!" I screamed as I was trying to get his face from spinning before my eyes.

"Minho, stop her! She is trying to run into the maze!" The boys that were chasing me had caught up and were shouting to the boy under me. He didn't need to hear more, as he stopped me from getting up by grabbing my arms. I was struggling on top of him, trying to get him to let go of my arms. He was much stronger than me, but I had the advantage because I was on top. He realized it too, as he threw his body in the air and flipped me over, so he was now on top of me, holding my arms above my head. 

"What the shuck is going on?! Who the hell is this?" Minho screamed at the boys who were now surrounding us.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_"What the shuck is going on?! Who the hell is this?" Minho screamed at the boys who were now surrounding us._

"Let me go!"

I screamed back at Minho, and I started kicking my legs around. Minho was sitting on my waist, so my legs couldn't reach him, and the struggling was wearing me out. My head was hurting, and Minho's face kept going in and out of focus. So I stayed still and settled for giving this Minho guy a death glare.

"Are you done now?" Minho said as he relaxed his grip on my arms a bit. "Can somebody tell me what just happened? Seriously I can't even be gone for a few hours?" Minho looked over to the blonde boy that grabbed my bruised arm before.

"Well, don't look at me, mate. The box came up like normal for the new greenie, and this is what they gave us. A girl."

Minho looked back down at me with his brown eyes. I still looked angry at him because he had me pinned down. I rocked my hips a bit to try and get him off balance, but the guy was too heavy to budge. He noticed what I was trying to do, and he just gave me a victorious smirk. "Well, what are we going to do with her now. I can't sit on top of her all day, Newt?" I was blinking with my eyes to keep focus, but I must have hurt my head when I ran into the Asian hotshot here.

"Can you please get the hell off me? I don't feel good." Minho looked down at me in surprise and dropped his guard. I gathered my strength to hoist my body up, and with my hips, I turned around. The movement caused Minho to be thrown off me and land next to me with a groan. I got on my feet, ready to run again, but my head hadn't caught up to the sudden turn I made. I collapsed to my knees and threw up on the grass. Minho quickly rolled away. Trying not to get hit by my vomit. "Oh gross, someone, get Clint here." Mister Hotshot said as he got to his feet and straightened out his clothes.

The blonde boy, who was obviously a lot nicer, dropped by my side and pulled my hair back as I was still heaving. "Don't...Touch...Me..." I gasped between breaths. "We're just trying to help you, love." His voice sounded so sweet, but I couldn't bring myself to be nice to him. "Well, I've had enough of this. Newt, bring her to the slammer. Clint can look at her there, as for the rest of you, go back to your jobs." A dark voice said that with authority but I couldn't see who said it. Newt hoisted me up to my feet, and I nearly fell over again because of the dizziness.

"Gally, a hand, please?" Newt said to mister Muscle, who helped me out of the box. "I don't think she feels good enough to walk to the slammer." Mister Muscle said as he picked me up by my waist and threw me over his shoulder. "Holy shit, what the hell!" I cried out as his action took me by surprise. Before I knew it, I was hanging over his shoulder, looking back at a few giggling boys. They found it very funny that he was manhandling me.

"Put me down, you son of a ..."

"Hey, enough!"

A dark-skinned boy came into my line of vision and grabbed me by the cheeks with one big hand. "You listen up, greenie. You've caused enough trouble already, so shut up. You're going to go into the slammer, nice and quiet, and then we'll figure out what to do to you." He let go of my head rather roughly and balled his fists. I let my head drop in defeat. I felt tears prickling in the back of my eyes. I was scared now about whom those boys were and why I haven't seen any other girls. I let out a quiet sob and just let my body dangle over the muscle boy. I had no other choice but to give up and let Mister Muscle carry me to the slammer.

I heard Newt whisper to the mean guy. "Hey, Alby, no need to scare the girl like that. She is just as confused as we were when we came up in the box. Is it necessary to put her in the slammer?" It looks like I was right when I thought that Newt was the nice guy here. He seemed to be limping a little as he was trying to keep up with Gally. "You saw her running away, Newt. We can't risk her going into the maze and runoff." Alby went around Gally, and I heard him open a door.

Gally walked inside a small room with a dirt floor and concrete walls. The door was made of wooden bars, adding to the whole prison vibe of it. Gally put me down on the ground softly against a wall. I quickly removed any falling tears with my hand. "Enjoy your stay in hotel slammer, greenie." He said with a mocking voice. I glared at him as he walked out and grabbed my head. Why didn't the floor stop spinning?

Alby and Newt were just outside talking to a boy who was holding a bag. He looked at me and sighed as he walked in. "What's up, greenie. I heard you hit your head against Minho. I'm going to have to take a look at you, okay?" I nodded my head as I cautiously watched him put his bag down and kneel in front of me. He took a small flashlight out of his bag. With it, he shined over my eyes. I got black spots in my vision from it and grabbed his sleeve to keep my balance. He poked my wrist around for my heartbeat, and he also took a look at my bruised arms. "You look like you've been in a fight. Anyway, I think you have a concussion. And since you already threw up, I'm pretty sure about it."

Great, just what I needed to make this day any more perfect. "We shouldn't keep her in here with a concussion, Alby. We should get her to the med room so she can sleep on a bed." Newt was pleading my case for me to Alby, and I didn't even know the guy. I did my best to give Alby the puppy eyes because a bed sounded a lot better than this dirt floor. His face seemed to be in a scowl always.

"Fine, but I want a keeper on her the whole time. We can't leave her alone. I don't trust her."

"Well, I don't trust you guys either, and there is a lot more of you than there is of me." I snapped back. Clint let out a chuckle and got to his feet, he offered a hand to help me get up, but I was stubborn and used the wall for support.

"No more running away, green bean, or you go straight back in here," Alby said as I walked past him to follow Clint. I just rolled my eyes at him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_"No more running away, green bean, or you go straight back in here," Alby said as I walked past him to follow Clint. I just rolled my eyes at him._

We walked over to the wooden building near the Slammer, past some boys who were eyeing me over, and one even gave me a wink. I quickly gave him the finger, and they laughed it off. When we were inside, I took in how big this building was on the inside. It was all made out of wood, and some parts were not as well put together as others. Guess you can't blame the boys for doing their best with what they have. Clint showed me to a small room with a bed in it and ordered me to lie down. He went to get a glass of water, and so I found myself alone for a bit.

My thoughts went back to the dream I had in the box. I rubbed my arms over my bruises and thought of the guards that had grabbed me. Was it a dream or my memories? Were these bruises from struggling against the guards? As much as I tried, I couldn't picture any faces. I knew Teresa had black hair, but I had no idea how she looked. Or why she felt familiar and safe. I went to lie down as Clint ordered me. He came back in with the glass of water and some aspirin.

"How do you have an aspirin?" I was surprised because this place didn't look like it had a pharmacy.

"Greenies are not the only thing that gets sent up with the box. We get supplies as well every week." I took the aspirin and thought about this place. So far, I had only caught a few glimpses because I had been too busy running, but I had seen some animals and a forest.

"So, what is this place, and why can't I remember anything?" I asked Clint as he was going through a small drawer in a desk.

"We call it the glade. We're sent up here with our memories wiped, and we are trying to find a way out."

"But who sent us here, and why?"

"Well, that's what we are trying to find out. Now don't ask any more questions because I'm not supposed to tell you anything. Get some rest." I sighed and put my head back on a pillow. I was pretty tired, and my body was sore. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander around.

I fell into a restless dream. I saw visions of white rooms and people in scrubs. But before I could focus on anything, the image was gone. I kept going back inside that white hallway. Guards were holding me back, Teresa was fighting and screaming to get to me. I tried to fight off my guards, but they were too strong. "Let me go!" I cried out.

"Wake up!"

I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders as I woke up out of breath. I got greeted by two dark brown eyes piercing through mine.

"Finally, you're awake. I thought you were never waking up." The Asian boy sighed out as he let go of my shoulders and sat down on a chair next to my bed.

"What happened?" I let out between pants. I was really out of breath.

"What happened is that you were having a nightmare. You were trashing all over the place like you were fighting someone off." I sat up straight in the bed and took a few deep breaths. "Why are you here, anyway?" I asked him. He faked being hurt and put a hand on his chest.

"Well, excuse me for caring, princess. I wanted to see how you were doing. It's not every day that a girl gets a concussion because of me." He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. His perfect hair. How the hell does a guy get hair like that in a place like this? "So, you're here because you just wanted to see how I was doing?" He nodded his head as he smirked.

"That. And I've been assigned your babysitter for the evening." I threw my pillow at his face, which he caught before it hit him. "I don't need a freaking babysitter. I'm fine. Leave me alone." I shot him a dirty look and crossed my arms. "Geez, you can't play nice, can you? Anyway, it's time for dinner, so we're going to the kitchen." Minho stood up from the chair and straightened his button-up blouse.

"Well, I'm not hungry," I said, but before Minho could respond, my stomach did it for him. I put my hand over my stomach because it was hurting me. When was the last time I ate? Minho laughed at me and grabbed me by the arm, lifting me off the bed. "I don't need your help." I jerked my arm free and grabbed the bed frame for balance. "Fine by me, princess. Just don't slow me down. I'm hungry," he said playfully and went to the door. I stumbled behind him to catch up.

After a few steps, I gained my balance, and walking went fine from then. The dizziness was barely there anymore. I felt a bit better, but my muscles still hurt like I had run a marathon. I followed Minho outside to a kitchen nearby. There were a few tables with a few boys munching on their food. My stomach groaned again when I smelled the food, and Minho looked back at me with his eyebrows raised. "You sure you're not hungry there, princess?" He gave a grin and stuck his tongue out. I gave him a death glare and punched his shoulder.

"Stop calling me princess. I have a name."

"Well, you haven't said it yet, so what am I suppose to call you then?"He grabbed an empty plate and handed one to me as well.

"My name is Elisabeth." Minho frowned and thought something over before answering.

"That's way too much of a mouthful; I'll just keep calling you princess." I sighed and just shook my head. I wanted to be mad at him, but he made me smile with his playfulness. We were standing in line for the food when one boy behind me crept up into my personal space. I took a step forward, and the boy did the same, standing only an inch away from me.

"Dude, personal space, I kind of need it."

"Don't act so cold, baby." He whispered in my ear as he traced his hand over my bare arm. Who the hell does this guy think he is? I snatched his hand from my arm and twisted it hard behind his back.

"Shuck, what the hell are you doing?" he started screaming, and quickly Minho, who stood in front of me, turned around and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me back from the creeper. "He shouldn't have touched me. Let go of me!" I started to squirm against Minho. He released me but held his hand on my shoulder just in case he would have to keep me back. The creeper rubbed his wrist that was turning red from my assault.

"This chick is crazy. She should be locked up." He said as he had a devilish look in his eyes when he looked at me.

Newt, the nice blonde boy, was suddenly between us and punched Creeper square in the face. Creeper fell back from the impact, and I stood there in shock at what Newt had done. "I see the way you look at her, Bill. Come near her again, and you'll be the one in the Slammer." Newt ran his hand through his hair and looked over to Alby. Alby had stood behind us and watched the whole thing play out.

"Listen up, shanks! This girl here is our new sister, and you all should treat her like that. If I find out that one of you did something to her, then you will get banished." Some boys gasped. I guess being banished was something terrible. I was surprised that Alby had stood up for me like that. I thought he didn't like me. Alby and Newt sat back down at a table, and Minho and I went back to waiting for food.

"Are you okay?" Minho asked as a dark-skinned boy filled our plates. "Yeah, I'm fine." The boy gave me an extra serving and smiled brightly at me. "Hey Frypan, why does she get extra?" Minho said with a whiny voice. "Shank, have you looked at her? She is skin and bones! I'll have to get some meat on that one." He laughed loudly, making me blush. I wasn't complaining about an extra serving because I was starving. I followed Minho to a table, and he went to sit with Alby and Newt. Alby still had a scowl on his face and wasn't looking very inviting. I hesitated to sit down and was standing awkwardly with my plate in my hands.

"Sit down, princess. Unless you want to stand while eating." Minho said while already stuffing his face with his food. I sat down across from Minho and next to Newt. I looked around the field and saw the forest, a small animal farm, and gardens. Nothing here was close, this place was so huge. The walls were humongous. They came up so high and were covered with vines. I saw the four openings, and I thought in the back of my mind, that I should still run for it. That creeper guy was maybe only the beginning of my troubles here. I sighed and started eating my food, which surprisingly tasted delicious.

"So, can you remember your name?" Newt smiled. "It's Elisabeth, but Minho here found that too long," I said with sarcasm while glaring at Minho. He just smirked and gave a small wink. Alby sighed with this serious look on his face. "Well, Elisabeth, you have to understand that we have a few rules here to keep this place from going into chaos. You've already broken one rule, tried to break a second, so you need to listen to us if you want to stay safe." I shifted in my seat. Alby made me uncomfortable. Like I was a small kid getting punishment. "The three rules. Never hurt another Glader, never go out into the maze, and do your part in this community."

"Maze?" I was confused, but Alby didn't seem to answer any questions. "Newt will show you around tomorrow, and we'll have to find a job that will suit you. But until we can trust you, there will be a keeper with you at all times." I let out a groan at that. I didn't need a babysitter to watch over me. "And how can I trust you guys? You saw what that creeper just did." I got a cold chill on my back, thinking about that guy whispering to me. Yuck. "We'll do our best to keep you safe, but we are learning here as well. You're the first girl to come from the box, so this is all new to us." I was munching on my food as Alby turned his attention to Newt. Minho was staring at me while I was chewing my food.

"What?" I asked with my mouth full. "Geez, princess, watch your manners," Minho said with a playful smirk. "I don't want you spitting your food on me." I laughed at his smartass remark and kicked him under the table. Maybe these boys weren't as bad as I thought.

A cold wind swept through the glade, giving me goosebumps. I stroked my bare arms to get some heat on my skin, but with only the tank top on, it was useless. A loud boom went throughout the glade, and it was scaring the hell out of me. The openings in the walls were closing. I saw the walls moving, ready to close. I had to take a closer look and decided to run towards it.

"Elisabeth, wait, don't be scared," Newt said, but I was already running towards the nearest wall opening. I didn't know why I had to take a closer look, but it felt better than sitting still. It didn't take long before I saw what was causing the loud noise. The wall was scraping over the floor and had huge spikes that had to go into the opposite wall. It trapped us in. I felt dizzy and fell to my knees. Minho had been right behind me and crouched down beside me. "You need to stop running away. Are you good?" He patted my back as I was breathing hard. "My head..." I put one hand on my head as it was throbbing.

"Well, you really shouldn't be running with a concussion." He said as a matter of fact. He lifted me to my feet, and I grabbed his arms for support. "Holy shit," I exclaimed as I felt up his arms. Minho gave me a surprised look, and I suddenly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just... It's just... Your arms... Your whole body is... Ok, I'm shutting up now." My blush, along with the throbbing of my head, made my head feel feverish. Minho just laughed and put his arm around my shoulder as he walked me back to the kitchen. "Well, I'm glad my body is approved." He snickered as he pulled me a bit closer. I would have complained, but my body was sore and tired, and Minho was surprisingly warm. His lean body moving along with my own only made my blush worse.

"Do you have any extra clothes? This tank top isn't keeping me warm enough now."

"If you promise to stay here with Newt, then I'll go get you something."

I plopped down next to Newt and let my head down on the table. "You shouldn't run off like that, love. Or else you'll piss off Alby again, and he will put you back in the Slammer." I groaned in acknowledgment and turned my head so I could look at Newt. His blonde locks were hanging loosely around his face. My head was throbbing badly, and I felt so tired.

"Why do the walls close? Why are we trapped in here?" I could see he was hesitant to tell me. His brown eyes showed a hint of sadness. Newt was a pretty handsome guy, and I caught myself staring at him. Newt smiled at me and put his hand on my forehead. My body tensed at the sudden touch, but he meant no harm, so I relaxed. "I think you might have a fever, your face looks flustered, and your head feels kind of hot." I closed my eyes, his hand actually felt pretty amazing on my head, but I also got a chill over my body. Newt was right. I think I might be coming down with something.

Minho came back and threw a denim blouse over my shoulders. "It's too big for you, but it will do the trick, I guess. Is she all right?" He asked Newt and Newt shook his head. I was too tired to move my head up from the table. "We should probably get her to the med room." Newt got up from his seat and grabbed me by my arm. I didn't have the energy anymore to resist, so I let him pull me up. I was unsteady on my legs, and I had trouble keeping myself up. Minho grabbed my other arm and put it over his shoulder. They dragged me over to the main building and took me to the med room I was in before. Newt laid me down on the bed and felt my head again. I vaguely heard Newt talking to Minho.

"We should get Clint. She is burning up. I'll get him. You watch over her." Minho let out a sigh and ran his hand through his perfectly styled hair. I felt him tucking at my shoes to get them off. I felt someone put a wet towel on my head, I wanted to see who did it, but I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The last thing I remembered was Teresa's face as everything went black, and I fell into a restless sleep.

_They strapped me to a bed inside a white room. People in scrubs were walking around, and two guards were beside my bed. I tried to struggle against the straps, but it was no use. I couldn't move. My body felt limp. "Please don't do this to me." I was crying, but the guards ignored me._

_The lady with the blonde hair came up to me and stroked my hair. "They are getting ready for your procedure. I'm sorry we had to sedate you. You were getting out of hand. Don't worry now; it will all be over soon." She kept stroking my hair lovingly and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I don't want to forget. Please don't make me forget." A man in scrubs came towards me and pulled a device from the ceiling over my head._

_"We are ready to begin."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_"We are ready to begin."_

I moaned as I turned around in my bed, my body aching all over. When I opened my eyes, I saw Minho sleeping in the chair next to my bed. I guess it was morning now, by the way, the sun was shining through the small window. Minho looked so peaceful, and his hair was still in perfect shape. I caught myself staring at him. His breathing was slow, his chest slowly moving up and down. The top button of his blouse open and his sleeves rolled up, showing off his biceps. I couldn't help myself, the guy was in perfect condition, and I'm a teenage girl with hormones.

"Are you done drooling over me yet, princess?" He said, smiling with a cocky voice as I saw him opening up one eye. The guy sure had a big ego. "No, I don't think so," I said sarcastically. "What happened last night?" I went to sit up straight, as did Minho. I was still wearing his denim blouse that smelled like a forest and musk. "You had a fever and passed out. You slept nearly 10 hours now; do you feel any better yet?" He leaned over and put his hand on my forehead to check if I was still warm. I nodded my head. I felt fine. A bit tired, but nothing like how I felt yesterday. He seemed satisfied with my temperature and leaned back in his chair.

"They found a small backpack between the supplies yesterday with your name on it." Minho got up from the chair and walked over to a small dresser. He picked up a blue backpack and threw it at me. I quickly opened it to see what was inside. I pulled out extra underwear, a shirt, and a pair of shorts. There was also a hairbrush stuffed in it and a bottle of pills. When I looked at the inscription on the bottle, my face turned red. Minho saw the embarrassment on my face and cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong? What did they send you?" I threw him the bottle, and he had a faint blush when he read it. "Well, I guess you should be thankful that they sent something like this," Minho said with a smirk.

The bottle of pills read Period control, one pill a week. Minho threw the bottle back at me, and I took one pill out of it. I grabbed a glass of water that was on my nightstand and quickly swallowed it. "Better not waste them then." I smiled as Minho was pacing around the room. I looked around the bag to see if there was anything else in it when I saw a small note hidden in one of the smaller pockets. Minho was making me nervous with him pacing around. "Could you stop pacing? You're making me nervous. What's wrong?" Minho settled for leaning against the wall instead as he crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "You just scared us, greenie. You kept screaming in your sleep. Does the name Teresa tell you anything?" Minho asked me with concern in his voice.

I didn't know what to tell him. I didn't want to share my dreams with him because I can barely remember anything myself. I still had my hand on the note in the backpack. Suddenly it felt like a bad idea to take it out in front of Minho. So I let it go and decided to read it later when I have a moment alone. Minho and Newt have been nice to me so far, but I still don't know if I can trust them.

"I don't know Minho. I was kind of out of it, so I don't remember."

I felt terrible for lying, but really what else could I do? Tell him the truth and let him think that I was crazy? Or not to be trusted?

"So the name doesn't mean anything to you?"

"No, it doesn't, now are you done questioning me?" I snapped at him a little harder than I had meant to, but I wanted him off my back for now. He gave me a look that showed he felt like I wasn't telling him everything, but he let it go for now. "Yeah, I'm done. Let's get breakfast from Frypan. I'll hand you over to Newt then." I sighed at him. "Fine, but I don't need a babysitter."

I put my extra clothes and stuff back into the backpack and strapped it on my back. Minho was leaning against the door waiting for me to get ready. As I was putting my shoes on, I kept sneaking in a few looks at Minho. The boy just looked so good standing there casually leaning against the door. He was wearing a blue button-up blouse with rolled-up sleeves, so his strong arms were showing. Ok, Lizzy, focus, don't let your hormones get the best of you. When I was all set and ready, I got up from the bed. I stood still for one moment as it felt like the world was spinning a bit too fast, but luckily it passed. Minho held the door open to the hallway. "Ladies first," he smirked, and I punched him in the arm as I walked past him.

We made our way to the kitchen area outside, and lots of boys were already eating their breakfast. Minho handed me an empty plate again, just like yesterday, only this time there was no line. We could move straight up to Frypan. "Well, good morning sunshine, you gave us quite a scare yesterday. How's my favorite sister doing today?" Frypan was laughing as he was flipping an omelet in his pan. He made me smile. He was so adorable. "I'm your only sister Fry," I said to him as he put two large omelets on my plate. "Exactly the reason why you are my favorite." I only had met Frypan once, but already he made me feel like I had known him for a long time. Minho just looked sad as he saw my plate. "Seriously, Frypan? She gets extra again?" Minho let out an annoyed sigh and made a pout face. "Just until she gets more meat on her." Frypan smiled and turned around to get more eggs from a basket.

Minho and I walked over to Newt, who was sitting alone at a table. I went to sit across from Newt, and Minho plopped down next to me. "Morning, love. How are you feeling?" Newt said with a smile as he was picking at his food. "I'm much better than yesterday. Thank you." I noticed that the doors in the walls were already open again. "So the walls only close at night?" I asked Newt, but he just nodded his head as a response. Minho quickly finished his breakfast and ran back to Frypan to get a small leather backpack from him. I saw him stuffing some food and water in it. I watched him put the leather backpack on his back and strapping it tightly over his chest. He ran back to Newt and me. "I have to go running now; I'm already a bit late because of the greenie here needing a babysitter. You got this now, Newt?" Newt grinned at Minho and gave him a nod. "Good that." I just glared at him. "I already said I don't need a babysitter." I protested, but Minho just patted me on the shoulder and took off running to the west wall opening.

"Don't think of it as me babysitting you, love. But you are stuck with me today. Let's go. I've got something to show you." I quickly shoved the last of my omelet in my mouth and stood up to walk beside Newt. "So, where are we going?" Pieces of omelet flew out of my mouth as my mouth was way too full to be talking. "Minho wasn't kidding when he said you have no manners, love." Newt was laughing out loud and bumped into my shoulder. "So how come Minho gets to go beyond the wall?" I looked at Newt walking with his limp. "Minho is a Runner; it's his job to go out in the Maze."

We were walking towards the wall behind the animals. When we got closer to the wall, Newt grabbed a knife from his belt. My eyes shot open, and I took a step back. "What are you doing?!" I took a defensive stance and was ready to run away. Did he just seriously take me away from the rest of the boys to draw a knife on me? "Wow, wait, Elisabeth, this is not what you think. Calm down, love. I wanted to show you our tradition. Look at the wall, please." He put the knife down against his body and pointed to the wall. On the wall, I saw the names of probably all the boys that lived here. I saw Newt's name and Minho's, also Gally's and a lot of other ones I didn't know yet. Some of them crossed out. "Why are these crossed out?" I let my hand run over them. "They are dead."

Newt let his head fall, sad about the boys they lost. I felt like an idiot that I thought that Newt brought me here to attack me. "I'm sorry for thinking you would hurt me. I just... I didn't... I wasn't thinking." I stumbled over my words because I was slightly embarrassed. "It's all right Elisabeth, I understand why you don't trust us yet." he handed me the knife and gave a pat on a space on the wall. "You should put your name on it. You're one of us now. Whether you like it or not." I raised the knife to the wall and stuck the point in the wall. "I'm beginning to like it." I smiled at Newt as he went to sit in the grass, waiting for me to carve my name in the wall. I spent about 15 minutes trying to get my name on the wall; it was a lot harder than I thought. Newt helped me with the last letters because I didn't have the strength in my arms anymore. "All done, love. Now let's go, and I'll show you around all the important places here."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"All done, love. Now let's go, and I'll show you around all the important places here."

"We call this building the Blood house; I guess I don't have to tell you why we named it like that." Newt held the door open for me, but I wasn't ready to go inside. "If this is where you kill animals, then I don't want to go inside." I took a step back and crossed my arms. Just the thought of seeing something dead made me sick to my stomach. "It's all right; I'll just call out Winston so you can meet him." Newt took a step inside, and I heard him calling out to Winston. A few seconds later, a boy came outside with warm brown skin and dark hair. He was a head taller than me, and he had an acne covered face. "Morning, greenie." He wiped his hands off at some old cloth and stuck his hand out for me to shake it. His hands were still dirty, though. I even think I saw blood on them. "I'm going to pass on the handshake, sorry." I put my hands behind my back and looked over to Newt, who was laughing at Winston. "You should know better than to offer a lady a dirty hand, Winston." Winston laughed it off as well and walked past us to show me the different animals.

I went over to pet a sheep, and Winston told me more about the animals. I felt kind of sad that they have to kill them, but I also understand that we wouldn't have a chicken sandwich otherwise. We said our goodbyes to Winston, and Newt dragged me away from the sheep. It was so cute I could pet it all day. Newt showed me around the Glade some more and introduced me to some other keepers. I already met Gally, keeper of builders, when he had dragged me to the Slammer. Zart was the keeper of the track hoes and looked after the gardens. He seemed to be doing a fine job at it. I saw lots of different vegetables and fruits.

We were walking to the kitchen to get some lunch when I felt my bladder acting up. That's weird, I didn't go to the bathroom yet since I got here, but right now, I couldn't ignore it any longer. "Newt, I have to pee." I grabbed his arm to get his attention. "Oh, right, I'll show you the bathroom. Follow me, love," Newt leads the way as we went into the direction of the forest. "This looks nice." Newt led me towards a small building near the forest. It was next to a big tree, and it had one small window. When we walked inside, there were three showerheads on the wall without curtains, and two doors, which I assumed were toilets. They reminded me of a gym, which was weird because I can't remember ever going to the gym.

"Well, this is very open..." I looked at Newt as I nudged my head towards the showerheads. "Yeah, I guess it is. We never thought about putting up a curtain or something. We're all boys, so we didn't care." Newt had a big smile on his face and ran his hand through his long blonde locks. I went into one of the toilets and noticed they didn't have locks on the doors. "And no locks! Nice!" I said with sarcasm as I hurried up. "Don't worry, love. I'm standing guard for you now, am I not?" I could hear the smirk on his face in his British voice. I flushed the toilet and stepped outside, pushing Newt, who had been leaning against my door. "Well, great to know that I need to take a chaperone with me whenever I need to go to the toilet." I rolled my eyes at Newt, and he seemed amused by my attitude.

I walked over to the sink to wash my hands when I noticed the mirror above the sink. I saw my reflection and was a little bit shocked. I had no clue what I looked like and hadn't even thought about it. I saw Newt in the mirror standing behind me, leaning against the door, just watching me rediscover myself. I touched my face to make sure it was mine. "Pretty sight, isn't she?" Newt smirked, and it made me blush. I had bright green eyes with long lashes. My strawberry blonde hair was slightly curled and came past my chest. I had full lips, and that's when I noticed the bruise that was on my cheek. "What the hell is this?!" I turned my head to get a better look. The bruise was already healing, getting slightly yellow at the edges. "Yeah, you were already so bruised up we figured it was better not to tell you. But it seems like you had to fight somebody off."

I saw flashes of the guards that took me and put my hand over my cheek. A tear streamed down my face, and I grabbed the sink. Newt was behind me in a second and grabbed my shoulders. "Hey, it's ok. You're safe here." I turned around and put my arms around Newt's waist, pushing my head into his chest, and I started sobbing. Suddenly it was just all too much to take in. I had been taken against my will and send up here to live inside an enclosed space with a bunch of boys with no way out. And the worst part was that I didn't even remember anything. I just had some flashes of what might have happened, but I had no way to be sure.

I had felt Newt tense up when I hugged him, but now he was soothingly stroking his hands through my hair. "Shhh, it will be ok. Calm down, love." His voice was smooth and calming. My tears stopped flowing, and I felt a bit better. I let go of Newt and looked at his brown eyes. Newt seemed so familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I wonder if he had the same feeling about me. "What did we do to deserve being sent in here?" Newt stroked one tear away from my cheek with his hand. "I don't know, sweetheart. That's for all of us to find out. Now, how about we go get that lunch?" I nodded my head and grabbed his arm as we walked towards the kitchen.

A small young chubby boy was standing in front of me as I waited for my turn to get food. When he noticed I was standing behind him, he turned around, and I looked into his big blue sparkling eyes. "Hey, Elisabeth! I hope you like soup!" He said with so much excitement. It was hard not to crack a smile at the young boy. "Yeah, I guess I like soup. What's your name?" I held out my hand so he could shake it and introduce himself. "My name is Chuck. I was the greenie before you! Do you want to sit with me for lunch?" He asked me. I looked over to Newt, and he just smiled and nodded his head. "Sure, we will sit with you." Frypan handed us a bowl of tomato soup, and we went to sit at a table. Chuck was talking enthusiastically about lots of things, and Newt just smiled as Chuck was making me laugh. It was hard not to like this kid. He was funny and seemed so happy. 

When lunch was over, Chuck went back to cleaning, he was a Slopper, and that meant he had to clean everything. "I have to go to the gardens. Zart won't be happy that I already missed a whole morning because I had to give someone here the greenie tour." He winked, and I followed him to the gardens. "So greenie means being the new kid?" I asked Newt as I walked beside him. "Yeah, it does. We get a new greenie every month. Usually, they only send us boys. You're the first girl." I laughed and bumped his shoulder. "So I've noticed. Why do you think they sent a girl now?" Newt thought long before he answered. "I don't know. Alby has been trying to figure it out, but we have nothing."

I plopped down on the grass close to where Newt was weeding a plant. He told me not to do any work yet. Alby had ordered that I should get some more rest after what happened last night. I felt fine, only had a slight headache, but other than that, I was all right. I had also gotten over the shock of being here. Sure it was all weird and new, but the Glade didn't seem all that bad. The boys had a good thing going on here, with the animals and the gardens. They actually all seemed pretty happy going about their day and doing their jobs. Newt was getting hot from all his hard work and took his shirt off. He still had a tank top on that he had under his shirt. He caught me staring at him and threw his shirt on the ground next to me with a smirk. I smiled back but didn't stop staring. Newt had nicely toned arms that kept flexing as he took the weeds out of the ground. "You enjoying the view there, love?" He stood up and went to get a shovel that was leaning against a tree nearby. "Very," I shouted to him and grinned. Honestly, the boys here weren't all that bad looking. I removed the blue backpack that I still had on my back. Maybe now would be a good time to read the hidden note. Newt was too distracted with gardening anyway. I rummaged through the clothes in the backpack and quickly found the note. Slowly I took it out, hoping to not draw Newt's attention to it. I opened it, noticing the small black letters on it.

_Lizzy,  
I'm sorry I wasn't there when they took you.  
We will do everything we can to keep you safe.  
**Don't go inside the Maze.**  
I love you,  
Never forget that.  
Thomas_

I read the note another three times. Thomas? Who the hell is that? Why couldn't I remember him? I guess he was important to me, or he wouldn't have written down that he loved me. I only can remember bits and pieces of Teresa, and now I have to worry about another person. I quickly hid the note back into the backpack. Newt saw my shocked face and walked over to me. "What's wrong? What do you have there?" I quickly closed it and put up a fake smile. "Oh, nothing, I was just looking at the limited clothing choices I have." Newt cocked an eyebrow like he didn't believe me. "I swear, one extra shirt and a pair of shorts? Guess I'll be stealing a lot more clothes around here." I tucked on Minho's denim blouse to make my point. "Sure. As if he's not going to want that back." Newt laughed as he pointed to the blouse I was wearing. He went back to work, and I grabbed his shirt that was lying on the ground next to me. "Hey, hey, you are stealing already?" He called out and threw a strawberry at me. "Relax; I'm just making it a pillow." I rolled up his shirt and put it under my head as I went to lie down in the grass. I heard Newt muttering something about it not being fair that he had to do all the work alone, but I just chuckled and closed my eyes.

_"None of this is fair." A brown-haired boy was pacing the room in front of me. I was sitting on a bed with my head in my hands. "We weren't supposed to be going in the maze." He went up to a wall and smashed his fist into it. That didn't scare me though, I felt safe with him, knowing he would never hurt me. I was sad that they were going to be breaking us up. Tears were streaming down my face. When the boy noticed that, he came up to me and crouched in front of me. He lovingly stroked his hand over my cheek to catch any fallen tears. "I wish I could protect you from them, Lizzy." He sat down next to me on the bed and pulled me into a hug. "I don't want to go in there, Thomas." my mouth was saying the words on its own like I wasn't here. Thomas grabbed my chin and placed a sweet kiss on my lips._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Thomas grabbed my chin and placed a sweet kiss on my lips._

I woke up to the sight of Newt standing above me. "Are you ok? You were crying in your sleep, love." I quickly wiped the tears from my face as I was thinking about my dream. Bits and pieces were already fading away, but I still remembered the kiss the brown-haired boy gave me. I felt my face heat up at the thought of the kiss and quickly got up to my feet. "I'm fine really, must have had an awful dream or something." Again I decided not to share my dreams with anyone. It would only cause more confusion, and I'm not even sure if they are dreams or memories. I touched my lips with my fingers softly. I could still feel Thomas his soft lips on mine. Were these dreams helping me remember? I tried to come up with more memories, but my mind went blank again.

"Ok, well, you look a bit flustered. You sure the fever isn't back?" Newt pressed his hand against my forehead to check for a fever. I removed his hand from my head and put my hands on my hips. "I'm fine, mom," I said sarcastically and stuck my tongue out. Newt gave me a small bump on my shoulder and smiled. "Someone has to look out for you, love." I nodded my head and smiled. It was nice knowing that after only being here for two days, I knew Minho and Newt had my back. "So why don't you show me how to help you with the garden?" For the next two hours, I was helping Newt tending to the garden. He had me do some light work as he was still scared I would push myself too much.

"Do you seriously have dirt on my shirt now, princess?" Minho yelled at me as he came running up to Newt and me. I had been sitting on the grass resting as Newt was cleaning up the weeds. I turned my body around to look at Minho coming to a stop behind me. He let his body drop to the ground next to me and lay flat on his back, catching his breath. "And here I was, thinking you were in good shape," I smirked at him and slapped him on his stomach. He faked being hurt by my slap as he put both his hands on his stomach. "I would like to see you try to run all day, princess," he said in between breaths.

"So what exactly are you doing out there all day?" I asked him. Hoping to get more answers about this place. "Just trying to find a way out." He said, casually, as he hoisted his body off the ground and went to sit beside me. "So, how long are you going to keep my shirt?" I shared a knowing look with Newt, and he gave me a wink. "Well, I don't know. I kind of think it looks better on me anyway, don't you agree, Newt?" Newt chuckled and smirked at Minho. "Please leave me out of this." He laughed and went to the shed nearby to clean up the gardening tools. "So, how was your second day in the glade?" Minho asked as he proceeded to pat some dirt from the blouse I was wearing. "Well, it was interesting. This morning I thought Newt was trying to kill me, and then I had to listen to Winston talking about killing animals, so it was a pleasant day." I slapped Minho's hand away as he was still trying to get the dirt off me. "Newt trying to kill you? Why would you think that?" He laughed at me for thinking that Newt would do me any harm. "Well, he took me to the wall and grabbed a knife. I didn't know it was for carving my name." I rolled my eyes at Minho for laughing at me.

"So your name is on the wall now? Guess that makes you one of us now." he smiled as he got up and straightened his clothes. He put out his hand for me and helped me up from the ground. Minho wasn't as tall as Newt, but he still was a head taller than me. Only Chuck seemed to be of my height, but I'm sure he would grow taller. Newt came walking back from the shed, his limp showing in his walk. "I'm going to hit the showers, get this dirt off me. Can you watch her for now, Minho?" Minho nodded and slung his arm around my shoulders. "Sure, we'll go get some dinner and meet you later." I waved at Newt as Minho dragged me with him to the kitchen area.

It didn't take long before Chuck joined us at our table. He looked at Minho full of admiration, and his eyes lit up when Minho smiled at him. Minho and I ate our dinner as Chuck was babbling about his day in the glade. Chuck was a nice distraction and felt like the most normal thing around here. I felt a pair of eyes staring at me from a distance. I looked at the culprit and saw the creeper staring at me. He gave me the chills, so I tried to ignore it. Newt joined us for dinner with fresh new clothes. His hair was still wet from the shower. Suddenly I felt dirty seeing him so clean. "Guys, I really would like a shower as well, but how are we going to fix the no lock problem?"  
Chuck didn't have to think a second about his response. "I can stand guard for you, Lizzy." He smiled, which gave him dimples in his chubby cheeks. "I think Chuck is the man for the job then because I have to go to the map room." Newt agreed with Minho. "I have a meeting with Alby, so Chuck, the job is yours." Newt patted Chuck on the back and went to the homestead to meet with Alby. Minho gave me a wink and ran to a concrete building. 

I smiled at Chuck, and we made our way to the edge of the forest where the small bathroom building was. I made my way inside and checked the toilet stalls to make sure no boys were there. Chuck closed the door behind me and went to lean against it on the outside. "Thanks for doing this, Chuck. I'll try to hurry up."  
I walked over to the sink to look in the mirror. My hair was a mess, and my clothes were dirty. I even had some dirt on my cheeks. I hung Minho's blouse over one of the toilet doors, and the rest of the clothes I put in a corner with my backpack. I turned on one of the showers and was happily surprised that the water was a little bit warm. I let the water run over my body and put my head under the water stream. I saw a few bottles of shampoo and body wash on the ground. I guess these also get send up here with the weekly supplies. These were all boy scents, but it's better than not using anything.

I put the shampoo in my hair and washed away all the dirt. I was zoning out a little, just enjoying the warm water when I suddenly heard a thump outside the door. "Chuck? You ok?" I called out, but he didn't answer me. I quickly took Minho's blouse from the toilet door and put it on. I made my way over to the door to check on Chuck when it slowly opened. Fear crept through me, and I took a step back. The boy who had creeped me out yesterday at dinner stepped inside with an evil smirk on his face.  
"What are you doing here? Where is Chuck?" he took a step in my direction, and I took another step back, clutching Minho's blouse to my body. Thank god it was long enough to be a dress. "I thought about our little encounter yesterday, and it just didn't sit right with me." He took another step closer, and I was already standing with my back against the sink. I was looking around for something to grab to defend myself, but there wasn't anything inside here. "I thought maybe I could show you how nice I can be to you." He was now standing in front of me and put his hand up to stroke my cheek.

I turned my head away and tried to step around him. He grabbed me by the arms and pushed me up against the wall. I did my best to fight him off, but he didn't even budge. He was too strong. He pushed his lips forcefully on mine and moved one hand to the back of my head to deepen the kiss. When he pulled back to catch his breath, I cried out for help, but he quickly put one hand over my mouth. "Shh shh, you wouldn't want anyone to interrupt now, would you?" He said with this devilish look in his eyes. Tears started to well up in my eyes as he was clutching my mouth with his hand. With his other hand, he took hold of my butt.

"Please don't..." I said against the hand on my mouth, and I started to sob. He pulled me up and adjusted my legs around his waist. He had me pinned against the wall, with his hips between my legs. He ground his hips against me, and I could feel he was hard. "Come on, you will like it, I'm sure." his hot breath was against my neck, and he made the mistake of taking his hand away from my mouth to put it on the back of my head to pull me in for another kiss. As soon as his hand moved, I let out an ear-deafening scream. That caused him to drop me to my feet in shock. He took a step back, surprised by the sudden sound, and clutched his ears. "What the hell!" He screamed. I'm sure the whole glade heard me, and I fell to the ground when the creeper smacked me hard across my face. Blood spat out of my mouth, and I felt lightheaded. Suddenly I heard the door being pushed open, and Gally stormed inside. "What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Gally's face was red with anger as he made his way over to Bill. 

"Nothing, I swear. This girl is crazy and attacked me." Bill said as he put his hands in the air. Gally, however, took one look at me and knew enough. He didn't hesitate as he turned to Bill and punched him in the face. Gally seemed to have done the job as he had knocked Bill out with only one blow. I heard multiple footsteps coming our way, and my eyes looked at Gally with panic. "Please, they can't see me like this." I let out a sob as Gally helped me get off the ground. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Gally took hold of my chin and turned my head around to look at my bruised cheek that was now burning red. "I'm ok, just please, I want to get dressed."

I walked over to my backpack and pulled out the extra pair of shorts, underwear, and shirt. Gally pulled Bill off the ground and dragged him over to the door. I quickly went inside one of the toilet stalls and got dressed. Minho's blouse was dirty and wet now, so I stuffed it inside the backpack along with my other dirty clothes. I got out of the toilet stall and walked over to the mirror. My hair was clinging to my face as it was still soaking wet from the shower. My cheek was burning, and my lips were all red and puffed up from the violent kiss.

"Let me in, Gally!" I heard Minho screaming against Gally. A lot of boys had gathered outside the bathroom, and I wondered if Chuck was ok. I gathered all my courage and walked up to the door. I slowly pushed it open, and Gally took a step forward to let me pass through. I saw Chuck lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by a few boys. "Oh my god, is Chuck all right?" Before I could finish my sentence, I got pulled into a big hug by Minho. "Are you seriously worried about Chuck now? Are you ok? Did he hurt you? Did he..?" I knew what Minho was asking me, and I shook my head. "Thank god Gally came when he did." I turned around to Gally and put my arm on his shoulder. "Thank you for saving me." A tear fell down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. "Anytime, sister. Nobody is going to hurt you on my watch." I had misjudged Gally, thinking he was a jerk when he was my savior now. All the boys just felt like they were my long lost friends. Well, not all of them.

"Throw his ass in the slammer!" I heard Alby's voice thunder in the distance as three boys were already dragging Bill away. "I ruined your shirt," I said in a quiet voice to Minho as I pulled the blouse out of my backpack and gave it to him. "As if I care about some stupid shirt now, I'm just glad the shuck face didn't get the chance to..." his voice went soft at the end, and he balled his fist, clearly upset with what almost happened. I crouched down next to chuck; Clint was already trying to wake him up as well. "Seems like Bill hit him pretty hard on his head," Clint said and went to grab some water from the bathroom. I stroked some hair away from Chuck's face and softly patted his cheeks. He let out a groan, and slowly his eyes fluttered open. "He's waking up!" I let out happily. Chuck slowly got up, and a few boys helped him get to his feet. "Wow, what happened?" he said as he grabbed his head. Newt was the one who spoke up. "Bill punched you on the head to knock you out. Then he went inside the showers to assault Elisabeth. Luckily Gally was nearby when he heard her scream and saved her." Chuck's eyes widened in shock, and he was tearing up. "Oh shuck, Lizzy, I'm so sorry, I was supposed to keep you safe." Chuck was sobbing between words, obviously feeling very guilty. I pulled Chuck into a hug and stroked his curly brown hair. "It's ok, Chuck. It's not your fault."

Alby's deep voice bellowed through the glade. "All right, everyone, get back to your own business. Bill got his shuck face in the Slammer, and tomorrow morning we will have a gathering about him. Let this be a warning to anyone who tries to hurt Elisabeth. It will not go unpunished." Alby said as he stormed towards the Slammer, probably to check on Bill. The rest of the boys slowly made their way towards their hammocks. The sun was totally behind the walls now, and the walls had closed up already as well. Darkness was slowly settling in, and a few boys went to light some torches. I let out a yawn, and Chuck did the same. "I'm sorry, Lizzy," he said with his eyes focused on the ground. I gave him a small peck on his forehead. "Get some sleep, Chuck. Your head needs the rest," I told him, and he slowly made his way over to his sleeping spot.

Minho was talking to Gally about him creating a lock, so this won't happen again. Gally agreed and promised to make it his priority first thing in the morning. Gally walked away, and I was standing with just Minho and Newt. The two didn't know what to say and were awkwardly waiting for me to speak up. "Guys, I'm fine now. I'm just tired." Newt put his hand on my shoulder, and I tensed up. He noticed the change in my body and pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry," he said and ran his hand through his hair. "No, it's ok. I know I don't have to be scared of you guys. And I'm not. Scared of you guys, I mean." I gave them both a small smile and crossed my arms. "Can we please go to the homestead now?" They agreed, and Minho threw his arms around me, and I snuggled in his side, taking in the comfort he gives me. We were slowly making our way to the homestead when we saw Alby coming from the Slammer walking to us. "The guy has lost his mind. He keeps screaming that Elisabeth wanted it, that she is his, and that we can't keep him away from her." Alby's words sent a cold shiver through my body.

"That's not true. Bill forced himself on me. And when I fought back, he smacked me hard." I pointed to the bruise on my face and showed Alby the markings Bill left on my legs. I was wearing shorts, so he had no trouble seeing the bruises that were forming on my legs. I looked like a mess, I still had the bruises on my arms from fighting off the guards, and now I had all these new bruises. I should try to stay out of trouble so my body can heal. "We know, Elisabeth. Nobody believes his side of the story. We all saw how he acted at dinner the other night. Tomorrow at the gathering, I will propose we banish him, and we will take a vote." He looked over at Newt and gave a small nod. "Elisabeth, I need you to stay with Newt tonight. He has a room in the homestead. It's the only way I know off to keep you safe for now." I nodded my head, and Alby went on his way. "I have to go to sleep as well now; I'll check on you first thing in the morning, ok?" Minho said as he pulled me into a hug and went to his sleeping spot outside. Newt smiled at me and bumped softly into my shoulder. "Guess we are roomies for now." Something about Newt made me feel safe.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_"Guess we are roomies for now." Something about Newt made me feel safe._

Newt leads me through the Homestead to his room. "How come you have a room of your own?" I looked around the room. It wasn't too big but very cozy. "Came with the job of being second in command." Newt walked over to a small desk and leaned against it. "Look, Lizzy. I'm so sorry for what happened to you. Minho and I should have never let you go shower alone with only Chuck to guard you." I noticed how he was also calling me Lizzy, just like Chuck had done, and just like Teresa and Thomas had done. "It's not your fault or anyone's fault for that matter. Only Bill is at fault."

I plopped down on the mattress that was on the floor. Newt let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "I still feel bad that we weren't there. I'm trying to make you feel safe, and then something like this happens." He ran his hand through his long blonde locks. I didn't want to talk about what happened with Bill anymore. "Can I ask you something weird?" Newt looked at me confused but nodded his head. "Do you feel like you know me?" I saw the look across his face, and I knew he had felt the same way. "I do feel familiar with you. Like some deeper connection, I can't explain." Newt shifted awkwardly against a dresser. "I know it is weird, but this place feels familiar. I don't know why, because I can't remember anything." Newt let out a sigh. "Yeah, we're all dealing with that. Nobody can remember anything when they first come out of the box, only their name." Newt gave a small smile that I just had to return. My body felt sore and tired. I really should get some rest.

"Do you maybe have an extra shirt I can use as a pajama? Shorts aren't comfy to sleep in." Newt chuckled, and that put a smile on my face. He was so handsome when he smiled.  
He turned around to the small dresser and opened a drawer. He pulled out a long shirt and threw it over to me. I caught it mid-air and got up from the ground to change. "Could you turn around?" I asked innocently, and Newt turned around. I took off my shirt and shorts and pulled on Newt's shirt that was oversized on me. The shirt smelled of Newt, sweet with a hint of mint. "Ok, all done." Newt turned back around and looked me over. "You are so tiny. My shirt looks like a dress." He laughed and took a step towards me to put a strand of loose hair behind my ear. I looked into his brown eyes and felt a blush come up.

He was standing so close to me, so close it made my heart skip a beat. Newt was such a handsome boy. He shouldn't have any trouble making a girl swoon over him. He softly caressed my bruised cheek and stared back into my bright green eyes. "I hate Bill for doing that to you. I wish I could make it better, love." Newt said softly, as he seemed oblivious to the effect he had on me. Standing this close to him and him being so sweet, it made my heart jump and my knees weak. It might also just be the aftereffect of what happened. I had felt so bad that now I would do anything that would make me forget that and make me feel better again.

"Do you mean that?" I said quietly, almost a whisper, as I put my hands on his chest. He nodded his head as he was ready to take a step back, but I didn't let him. I swung my arms around his neck and stood on my tippy toes to plant a kiss on Newt his soft lips. I felt Newt his body tense up in surprise, and his eyes widened in shock, but I didn't pull back until Newt grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled away. "What's wrong, don't you want this?" I asked him with a slight hint of hurt in my voice. Newt let out a small sigh and was breathing slightly faster. "I do want this, Lizzy. But I'm not sure if this is the right time for us to be doing this. After what just happened..." He let his eyes drop to the ground and put his hand behind his head. "I don't want to be reminded of what happened. I thought you understood that." I said a little too harshly and went back to the mattress on the ground.

I wanted him to help me, not reject me. I lie down on the mattress and let out an annoyed sigh. Newt had pulled his shirt off and threw it in a corner. He made his way over to the makeshift bed and slowly lowered his body beside mine. The mattress was big enough for us both to be lying on it. He turned on his side to look at me with those beautiful brown eyes. "I do understand, love. I'm just not sure if you can make these kinds of decisions right now. Besides, you barely know me." I rolled over on my side as well so that our faces were only inches away again. "It doesn't feel like I don't know you. It feels good." Newt was too sweet and overthinking this way too much. My point in this was that I didn't want to think. I just wanted to feel. I touched his cheek with my hand and moved my body closer to his, our faces almost touching. He didn't pull away or pushed me away, just stared at me with his brown eyes.

"Can't you just go along with this, and if it's a mistake, we can deal with it later?" I said to him as I let my hand stroke up and down his bare arm. I knew I was needy, but right now, I didn't care. I felt like I needed this, needed to feel loved and safe. "But what if I already know that this is a mistake?" Newt said in a soft voice as he ran his hand through my hair. I saw that he was thinking about giving in to me, so I brought my hand to the back of his head and pulled him in for another kiss. This time he wasn't tense or surprised. He kissed back. His hand ran through my hair, and he pulled me in to deepen the kiss. I gave his tongue access, and I lost myself in Newt. His soft lips and his sweet taste. That was what I needed. We pulled apart to catch our breath. 

"Does it still feel like a mistake to you?" I asked him as he smirked at me. "You should probably go to sleep." He said as he rolled on his back with a big smile. I pulled his arm around me and put my head on his chest, snuggling into his side. "Can I sleep like this?" I turned my head up to look at him. He let out a laugh and kissed me on my forehead. "Whatever you want, love." I closed my eyes, and with my hand, I was drawing circles on his stomach. He still had his tank top on, but I could feel his abs underneath it. I felt his hand stroking my back up and down, and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. It didn't take me too long to fall asleep as well.

_I saw flashes of glass walls with holographic information displayed on it. My eyes floated over it as one screen caught my eye. I was looking at the glade. Boys were going about their day, unaware of our observation. I felt someone come up behind me, and he planted a kiss on my cheek. "How's it going?" Thomas sat down next to me in a chair. "With the boys or me?" I said with a smirk as I typed in some commands on the computer. "With you, of course, smartass." Thomas laughed and started up his workspace. "But I also want to know how the subjects are doing." He started up his screens so he could also start watching the glade._

_I quickly got up from my seat to walk to his workspace. I went to sit on his lap with both legs on one side as he tried to type in something, trying to work around me. "The boys are fine; they can wait for a few minutes," I said as I looked into his hazel colored eyes and locked my lips with his. Thomas wrapped his arms around me and deepened the kiss. I shifted in his lap, and that caused him to make a small moan. I cocked my eyebrow up at him and saw that Thomas had a blush on his face. "Sorry, it's just the position..." I giggled at his embarrassed look and shifted again to tease him. He let out another small moan before he pulled me in for another kiss. "God, can't you guys get a room?" Teresa giggled as she walked in and went to sit at her station. "Well, I am going to my room; it's time for my break now." Thomas let out a grunt of disappointment. "Don't complain. I'll be back soon." I gave him one last kiss and got up from his lap. He gave me a wink and went back to work._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_I gave him one last kiss and got up from his lap. He gave me a wink and went back to work._

"Wake up, Lizzy." I let out a moan as I started to wake up. The dream about Thomas was fading away, but I could still feel the way his body felt beneath mine. I felt Newt his hand tenderly shaking my back. I was still lying on his chest and had my leg thrown over his lower body. My cheek felt a bit wet as I lifted my head to look at Newt. I wiped the saliva off my face and looked at the drool spot I made on his tank top. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I just drooled on you." I pulled myself off Newt and went to sit up. Newt just laughed as he stood up from the mattress. "Good to know that you are drooling over me. Literally." He took off the tank top and went to the dresser to grab a new shirt. I got to my feet as well and stepped over to Newt. He was going through a drawer to find a shirt he liked. I put my hand on his shoulder and turned his body around to me. "Wow." His body was in good shape, his abs nicely toned, and his chest as well. "There is no time to be drooling some more over me, love. I have something to show you." I nodded my head and turned around to get my clothes. I pulled on my shorts and decided to stuff the front of Newt's shirt in my shorts. "You are keeping that one on?" Newt asked me as he straightened out his shirt. "Yeah, I think it looks good on me," I said with a smirk. "So what are you going to show me?"

Newt and I were walking towards the wall. It was still very early in the morning, and all the boys were still asleep. The walls were still closed, and the sun wasn't even showing over the wall yet. We got to the wall, covered in vines. Newt pulled some vines away and unveiled a window in the wall. "What's this?" I tapped the glass and put my hands against it to look. The window gave us a view inside the Maze. I could see more walls, covered in vines as well. "We always need to show the greenies what's lurking in the maze, so they will think twice about running inside." I looked at the empty hallway. There was nothing there but vines and dirt.

I tapped the glass, and that's when I heard it, a whirring and clicking sound. "Here it comes, love," Newt said with a bit of excitement in his voice. It made me nervous. That's when I saw something coming around the corner. A large bulbous slimy creature rolled around the corner and was making his way to the window. It was huge, and spikes were coming out of its body. When it stopped, all sorts of appendages came from its body. It looked hideous and looked like it rolled straight out of someone's nightmare. When the creature spotted us, it jumped at the window, causing me to fall back into Newt. It disappeared out of sight, and the hallway was empty again. The only thing left of it was the slime that was dripping from the window. "What the hell was that?!" I screamed at Newt and turned around to face him. "Calm down, love. It can't get to you from there. We call it a griever, and it is the reason you can't go out into the Maze." My breathing was fast because I was still spooked by what I just saw. "But why are you sending boys inside when there is that thing lurking around? What about Minho?" I was freaking out and couldn't calm my breathing. Newt pulled me into a hug to calm me down. "Calm down, love, before you get a panic attack. The grievers hardly ever come out during the day." I put my arms around Newt his waist and breathed in his smell. The sweet smell of Newt. I let go of him and sighed. I never want to set foot inside that Maze.  
"Should we talk about last night?" I said awkwardly as Newt and I were walking to the kitchen for breakfast. I didn't know how Newt felt about what happened last night. I felt like I took advantage of him. I was only thinking about my need to feel better. "I don't know, love. I think it's best to keep it between us for now." I agreed with Newt. 

When we came near the kitchen, Minho came running to us. "How are you, princess? Did you get some sleep?" I nodded my head and smiled at Minho. He looked me over, saw that I was wearing Newt's shirt, and then looked over to Newt. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it. "Well, good, let's go eat some breakfast then."  
We went to sit with Chuck, who was already back to being his exciting self. As if yesterday hadn't even happened. It did seem like it was just a bad dream, but the bruising on my cheek and legs was evidence that it had been real. I poked at my breakfast while listening to Chuck going on about how he almost convinced Frypan to make us muffins. 

A boy came over to our table, looking like he was in a hurry. "Are you ready to go, Minho?" The blonde boy asked while impatiently tapping his fingers on the table. He looked over to me, and his annoyed look left his face. "Oh, hey, good morning. How are you doing? My name is Ben." He stuck his hand out, so I grabbed it and gave it a quick shake. "I'm fine, thanks. My name's Elisabeth." I let go of his hand and went back to my food. "It's kinda hard not knowing who you are. I'm sorry for what Bill did yesterday. The shuck face deserves one hell of a punishment." He said with a small smile. "Thanks." I didn't know what else to say to that. Minho shoved the last bit of food in his mouth and looked at Newt. "You know where I stand? I give you my vote for the gathering, ok?" Newt nodded at Minho, and Minho gave Newt a pat on his back. "Good that, brother," Newt said and patted Minho back. "Have a good run," I said, waving to Minho as he and Ben made their way into the Maze. "So, for how long has Minho been running the maze?" I asked curiously at Newt. He gave a small sigh before answering. "For nearly three years now." My eyes widened in shock. Three years? Stuck inside here for three years? "Just how big is that maze?" Chuck was silent as well, waiting for an answer from Newt. I nearly forgot that Chuck was the greenie before me, so he might not have known any of this as well. "It's not the size of the Maze that makes it difficult. It's the fact that the Maze changes overnight." I let my head rest on my hands. How are we ever going to get out of here? "No time to sulk, sweetheart. You have to come to the gathering with me." We said our goodbyes to Chuck and made our way over to the Homestead.

The other keepers were already waiting inside a big enough room in the Homestead. All the chairs were in a circle, with Bill strapped to one of them. His eyes lit up once he saw me enter the room, and he smiled that devilish grin of his. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. Like he had just awoken but hadn't gotten any sleep at all. His dark blue eyes were focused on me the entire time as I went to sit beside Gally. I took in a deep breath and focused my eyes on the ground, not wanting to look at Bill. 

"It will be alright, Elisabeth." I heard Gally say softly next to me. "He won't hurt you anymore." Newt took his place next to Alby, grabbing a notepad from his chair, ready to write everything down. Newt was sitting across from me, so I could make him my focal point in the room. He smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. His brown eyes were staring at me, and I felt a little blush come on. I thought about his soft lips on mine like they were yesterday. I wonder if Newt was thinking about it as well because I saw a blush coming on his face. Alby snapped us out of our stare and took the lead in the gathering.

"We are here today to pass judgment over our fellow Glader Bill. He has broken one of the most important rules, which is don't hurt another Glader. Yesterday he attacked Elisabeth in the showers and tried to force himself on her. I suggest we banish his shuck face." The boys all seemed to agree with Alby. The keepers all gave their vote. Gally scoffed when his turn came. "I don't understand that we even need to talk about this. He broke the rule. Let's banish him. The sooner, the better." The boys never even asked me anything, so I don't know why I even needed to be here. Bill never said anything. He was only staring intensely at me, making me shift uncomfortably in my chair. "Elisabeth, I would like to hear what you think about this as well." Alby broke the stare I was having with Bill. "I just want him gone," I said, not wanting to say more about it. 

Alby looked over at Bill now with his infamous scowl. "So, do you have anything to say for yourself, shank?" Bill's gaze left me as he looked up at Alby. "I will find a way to get her, even if you banish me." His dark voice gave me chills, and I grabbed Gally's hand for comfort. He gave it a little squeeze and gave a small smile. "I won't let him get to you, don't worry," Gally whispered before releasing my hand. Alby sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess that settles it. Tonight we will banish him. Everybody go, get back to your jobs. Gally put him in the Slammer, will you?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

_"Well, I guess that settles it. Tonight we will banish him. Everybody go, get back to your jobs. Gally put him in the Slammer, will you?"_

Newt walked over to me, and we walked outside together. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. Nobody survives a night in the maze." I gave him a small smile that wasn't convincing. I would feel a lot safer when that Bill guy is banished, but for now, he is still inside the Slammer. "So how about we get you to your first job try out?" That made me a bit excited. I was getting bored doing nothing, and I wanted to contribute to the glade. "Frypan has been bugging Alby about needing you, so I'm going to hand you over to Frypan for the day." I was happy that things weren't awkward between Newt and me. "Ok, sounds like fun." Newt threw his arm around my shoulder, and we walked to the kitchen together. I liked being this close to him.

"You'll be helping me make lunch today, Elisabeth." Frypan gave a big smile and gave me a pat on my back. "Guess so. What are we making?" Frypan showed me around the small kitchen and told me where to find all the supplies. We were making bacon and eggs sandwiches. My mouth watered already just thinking about it. Frypan had me peel all the eggs, which was pretty dull. "So what's going on between you and Newt?" Frypan just asked bluntly, and that made me blush. I was not expecting him to ask me about Newt. "What do you mean?" I tried to play it off cool because I didn't even know what was going on between Newt and me. Or that it was that obvious to other people. "Oh, come on, I saw the way he looked at you at the gathering, and you at him." I tried to hide my blush by turning my back at Frypan and continue with my eggs. "I don't know what you are talking about." Frypan laughed as he was cutting the bacon to pieces. "Keep telling yourself that, sister."

When lunch came around, I helped Frypan fill up the plates of the hungry boys. It also gave all the boys a chance to talk to me, which they happily did. I learned so many new names. I am positive I already forgot at least half of them. At least all the boys were nice. Not one of them looked at me with that creepy look like Bill had. Newt and Chuck were the last in line to get their food. "Hey guys, look, I made this." I gave them both their plates back, now full with my delicious food. I grabbed a plate for myself and went to sit with them. "This looks nice, Lizzy!" I gave him a big proud smile. "It's very well made, love. Nice job." Newt said when he didn't have his mouth full with the bacon egg sandwich. Frypan gave me a wink from the kitchen and went on to clean up. "So I take it you don't want to try out for any other jobs?" Newt laughed, and he bumped me in the shoulder with his. "I'm good with helping Frypan. We had a lot of fun." I was super happy with helping Frypan as my job. "Good that," Newt responded and went on to ask Chuck about his day so far.

"HELP, SOMEONE HELP!"  
All the boys that were eating shot up on their feet. I looked at Newt with horror in my eyes. The screaming was coming from the maze. We all got up and ran for the west door. The door that Minho and Ben had gone in this morning. "HELP!" When we came to a stop at the opening, we saw Minho dragging Ben across the floor. He had just turned a corner and still had a long way to go before he was outside the maze. Newt didn't hesitate and ran inside to help Minho. A few other boys went after Newt and took Ben over from Minho, who looked exhausted. Ben looked like he was dying. His face had some nasty bruises, and he had a big puncture wound on his body. Minho collapsed on the grass next to me and was gasping for air. "What the hell happened?!" Newt crouched down beside Minho, waiting for him to catch his breath. "A shucking griever caught us by surprise and stung Ben" A few boys gasped when they heard that a griever had come out during the day. "I thought you said they only came out at night, Newt? You told me they would be safe!" I nearly screamed at Newt. I knew he wasn't at fault, but I was still a bit mad. "Shuck, they usually don't, Lizzy. I have to go to Ben, get him the serum. Stay with Minho, love." Newt ran as fast as he could with his limp to the med room where the other boys brought Ben. "Are you ok?" Minho was on his back in the grass. Still breathing heavy, and his shirt ripped at the bottom. "I will be. I just need to catch my breath. I never had to drag a body with me before." I sat beside him and waited for him to calm down. "How did the gathering go?" Minho sat his body up and ran his hand through his hair that was kind of ruffed up now. "They are going to banish Bill tonight." A shiver ran down my back just thinking of Bill again. "Good," Minho said, and we stayed sitting in the grass for a while longer. "There's probably still a bacon egg sandwich in the kitchen if you want one. I made it." I said, smiling at Minho with pride. He let out a chuckle and got to his feet. "Well, I can't say no to that, now can I?"

We sat at our table in silence while Minho finished his sandwich. "So, looks like you found your job then?" I nodded my head and smiled. "Frypan requested that I help him in the kitchen, so now I don't have to try out any other jobs." Minho let out a yawn and smirked. "Consider yourself lucky you didn't have to work with Winston." I rolled my eyes and looked over to the Blood House. I did dodge a bullet with that one. "I really should take a nap or something. I'm exhausted." Minho stated as he stood up from his seat. "I should take you to Gally. We still need to have someone watching you." He said. I wanted to object but hanging out with Gally didn't seem like a bad thing. "It's ok. I can find Gally. You just go to sleep." I told him. Minho hugged me before he went on his way to his hammock. I knew Gally would be working on the bathrooms, so I went over there to find him. "Guess you're done with the lock already?" Gally was relaxing on a tree trunk near the bathroom. "I had it done this morning. Wasn't that hard," he smirked and looked me over. "Are you ok? You're bruising seems to be healing." I looked at my legs and arms. The ones on my arms were now yellow and nearly faded away. "Yeah, I'm fine. They don't bother me." I sat next to his tree trunk on the ground. "Have you heard about Ben?" Gally let out a groan. "Yeah, I heard the shuck face got stung." I was tucking on the grass at my feet. "What's that? Is he going to die?" I asked with concern in my voice.

I only met Ben this morning, but he seemed like a nice guy, and I didn't want him to die. Gally put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry too much. Minho got him back in time so he can get treatment with the serum." He told me with a reassuring face. This situation was all very confusing to me. "What serum? Is he like poisoned, and is that some kind of cure?" Gally let out a sigh and ruffled my hair up. "You shouldn't ask that many questions, greenie. At least not at me. You should talk to Newt about it." I rolled my eyes at him for calling me a greenie. "Well, I might as well go test out your new lock and then find Newt. Will you stay here by the door just in case?" I asked him with a small voice. 

I didn't want to be scared to go back in there, but I was. "Sure, nothing is going to happen to you while I'm here." I smiled at Gally before locking the door behind me. After my shower, I went to find Newt but instead, Frypan dragged me with him to the kitchen to prepare dinner. We were making spaghetti and meatballs. I was rolling the balls when Chuck came to visit me. "Hey Lizzy, I'm here to pick up any dirty clothes. Do you have any?" His smile was contagious, so I found myself smiling back at him. "Yeah, I do. They are in my backpack over there. A pair of jeans and my tank top. Can you get them? My hands are dirty." I showed him my hands covered in meat. He laughed and went over to my blue backpack. I had forgotten about the note from Thomas in it when Chuck shoved it under my face. "What's this? Who is Thomas?" 

My face turned into a bright red color, and I quickly washed my hands to grab the note from Chuck. "It's nothing. Give me that." Chuck quickly puts it behind his back. "It doesn't seem like nothing. He writes here that he loves you." I wanted Chuck to shut up, not wanting Frypan to join in on the conversation. "Chuck, just put the note back, ok? I'll talk to you about it after dinner." Chuck seemed to drop it, for now, putting the note back into my backpack. "I think you should tell Newt. It could be important." I let out a sigh and went back to rolling meatballs. "I will. When I'm ready." Chuck took my dirty clothes and went to wash them. Frypan came over to me and put my already rolled balls into a big pan. "What was that about?" he asked curiously. "Nothing." I quickly replied and went to wash my hands, so I wouldn't have to lie to him. Frypan just looked confused but decided not to pry.

When dinner came around, Minho was up as well, even though he still looked like a mess. I was the last one to join the table because I had to help Frypan again, giving every hungry boy his food. I sat next to Newt, maybe a little closer than I had to. Chuck was sitting across from me, his blue eyes sparkling when he saw me. "The food is great again, Lizzy!" he said as he put his mouth full with the spaghetti. I was glad Chuck didn't bring up the note in front of Newt and Minho. "So, how is Ben doing?" Minho's eyes got a sad look in them when I asked about Ben. I could see he was being worried. "He got the serum on time. Now he's going through the Changing. All we can do now is wait." Newt told me with a sad look on his face. "Changing? What does that mean?" It didn't sound too well. "It's bad, basically means he is going through a lot of pain now. All we can do is wait and try to make him comfortable." He put his arms on the table to let his head rest on them. "Man, I'm still beat down. Dragging his body was the worst." Chuck patted Minho on the back while stealing a meatball from Minho's plate. Newt stood up from the table and grabbed Minho by his arm. "No rest for you now brother, we have a banishing to prepare." Minho let out a loud groan and slowly got to his feet while rubbing his legs, those probably still hurt from running from the griever. "I'll expect you two at the wall with the others when the doors almost close," Newt said before giving a small smile and dragging Minho with him to prepare. Chuck and I were left behind, seated at our table.

"So when are you going to tell Newt about the note?" Chuck said with his serious face that was still adorable. "Maybe tonight, I don't know yet. Newt seems to be having a lot to deal with already." It seemed like the best excuse I could tell him. Chuck thought it over for a bit but seemed to agree. "Maybe you are right, with Ben being stung and the banishing." I was happy that Chuck went along with my story.  
Chuck and I made our way over to the wall. A lot of boys were already standing there. Bill was standing in the center of the circle, detained by Gally. When he saw me, he tried to take a step toward me, but Gally's hold on him was too strong to let him move. "Like hell, you're not," Gally said as he shoved Bill a few steps closer to the wall. I reached out for Chuck's hand. Holding his hand gave me comfort like he was my little brother. 

Alby stepped forward with a collar that connected to a long pole. He wrapped around Bill's neck, who was struggling against Gally. "This is a mistake! Choosing her over me!" He was crying out, but nobody listened to him. The wall started moving, and so did the keepers. Minho and Newt were each holding a pole. They were pushing against Bill to make him move inside the maze. Bill kept struggling and yelling. When he was far enough inside the maze with the walls almost closing, Alby let the pole off Bill, leaving the collar around his neck behind. Bill was screaming like a mad man, and I squeezed Chuck's hand tighter. The wall closed with a loud boom. Leaving Bill doomed behind it. I felt a wash of relief come over me. Bill was gone, and I was safe with the other boys. "Lizzy, you're breaking my hand," Chuck said as he tried to wiggle his hand out of mine. "Oh, sorry, Chuck. It was just so intense. Are you ok?" he rubbed his hands together, trying to get the life back into it. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm glad that Bill is gone now." I ruffled his brown curly hair and smiled at him. "Me too, Chuck."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

_"Yeah, it's fine. I'm glad that Bill is gone now." I ruffled his brown curly hair and smiled at him. "Me too, Chuck."_

Newt came to get me when night had fallen. I was sitting in the grass with Chuck playing the game I spy. I was winning. "Hey you, it's bedtime. And you two are keeping the others up with all the giggling," Newt said as he went to sit next to me in the grass. "Alright, mom. We've just established that I am victorious, so I guess we can call it a night." I stuck my tongue out at Chuck as he tried to protest that I cheated. He hugged me before going to his hammock outside the homestead, leaving Newt and me alone in the grass. "So, are we still roomies?" I asked him. He chuckled and got to his feet. "Only if you promise not to drool on me again." he laughed as he offered me a hand to get me to my feet. "Geez, I don't know if I can promise that. For all I know, I'm the worst drooler ever!" I punched Newt in the shoulder and grabbed his arm as we walked over to the homestead.

When we were alone in the room, I felt the tension between us. We've been too busy all day to think about last night, but now we were back in the same room where it happened. I stared out the small window and felt Newt come up behind me. I thought it was best to break the tension. "So about last night…" When I turned around to look at Newt, I was surprised when he put his lips on mine. His hand moved to the back of my head, and I let my hands rest on his hips. He broke the kiss to let out a sigh. "I've wanted to do that all day." I was a bit shocked. Newt hadn't been giving off any signals apart from the stare we had at the gathering. "So you don't think yesterday was a mistake?" I asked with big eyes. He was hesitant to answer. "I honestly don't know, but I'm taking your advice and am just going with it, love" I smiled and stood on my toes to plant another kiss on his soft lips. I felt Newt smiling against my lips and groaned when he broke the kiss again. "But I do think we should keep it between us." I nodded my head in agreement. If we didn't even know what this is between us, we should keep quiet about it.

I let my hands roam over Newt his chest and stomach and tugged at his shirt. He had his hand on my cheek and softly stroked over my bruise. "Does it still hurt?" I saw the concern in his eyes. "No, it's fine, but I might feel better if you took your shirt off," I said with a cheeky smile. Newt gave me a small kiss before taking a step back and taking his shirt off. "Feel better now?" he said with a grin and threw his shirt on the floor. "Oh, I don't know, maybe you should try taking that tank top off as well," I said with a big smile before taking a step towards Newt and taking the bottom of his tank top in my hands. I put my hands underneath his tank top and let my fingers roam over his defined abs. "You might be pushing your luck here, love," he said before pulling me into a passionate kiss. Newt tasted so sweet and good. The way his hands ran over my back made me blush. He put his hands underneath my shirt and continued to stroke my bareback while deepening the kiss. When we broke the kiss to catch our breath, he took a step back. "We should probably go to sleep before this gets out of hand," he said with a wink before lying down on the mattress. I took off my shoes and shorts and lay down with him. Newt grabbed a blanket from the side and threw it over us. "If you roll over, then I'll stroke your back some more, love." Newt caught on that it was my weakness. I rolled on my stomach, and Newt put his hand under my shirt and started to stroke and massages my back. It was pure bliss. I closed my eyes, taking in the feeling of Newt his hands on my body. It didn't take too long before I was fast asleep.

_"So what's going on between you and Thomas?" Teresa asked me while she was looking at the boys in the maze. "Well, what can I say? He likes me, and I like him. We decided not to ignore that anymore." I giggled as I adjusted my camera to look at Chuck. He had been sent inside the maze yesterday, and it breaks my heart to see how scared he is. "Do you think Chuck will be alright?" Teresa let out a sigh. "Once he finds his place, I'm sure he will be fine." I hope so. Teresa had her camera focused on Newt. "Do you still have a crush on that guy?" Teresa's face turned red, and she quickly adjusted her camera to look over the glade. "I don't know, maybe." I laughed as she looked embarrassed. "It's ok. I'm not judging you. The guy is hot." Teresa and I were giggling when Thomas entered our workspace and sat at his desk. "What's so funny?" Teresa and I both answered at the same time. "Nothing." Thomas lifted one eyebrow at us but decided not to give it any attention. Teresa got up from her chair and decided to go on her break. "I'll see you two later." She said, and before she left, she nodded her head at Thomas and gave me a wink. Very subtle, Teresa. I got up from my chair and walked over to Thomas his workspace. His smile widened when he saw I was coming over to him. He patted his lap, and I sat down on it. "Hey there." He said before I leaned down to kiss him. Two guards came into our workspace, causing me to jump to my feet. "You need to come to us. Chancellor Paige wants to see you."_

I woke up before Newt and had managed to wrap myself around Newt. I don't know how he managed to sleep with me next to him. First, I drooled on him, and now I have my arm around his neck and my leg over his waist. I tried to move off as slowly as I could to try not to wake Newt. He was still sleeping, peacefully, when I got to my feet. I pulled on my shorts again and decided I could wear Newt's shirt for another day. I looked back at Newt, his face was at peace, and he was breathing slowly. I slowly made my way to the door and went out into the hallway without waking Newt up. When I walked past the med room, I heard Ben breathing heavy and moaning in pain. I felt sorry for the poor boy that he had to go through this. I made my way downstairs and outside, walking past a few sleeping boys and trying not to step on them. The sun was still behind the wall, so it must be very early in the morning.

Not knowing what to do so early, I went over the animals and decided to visit and pet my favorite sheep. As I walked towards the animals, I heard somebody running behind. I turned around only to see Minho making his way to me. "Good morning, princess. Why are you up so early?" Minho came to a stop beside me and started walking with me. "I don't know. I couldn't sleep anymore. Can I ask you something, and can you promise not to freak out?" Minho raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah, of course, ask me anything." I took a deep breath and sorted out my thoughts. "Do you have any dreams here?" I stood by the fence, waiting for the sheep to come up to me. He stood next to me, leaning against the animal enclosure. "Of course, I had dreams. Just the other day, I dreamed about pizza." He laughed, but I just gave a small smile. "What's wrong, princess? You have something on your mind." He said while putting a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head and sighed. "I've had these dreams or flashes, and I feel like they aren't just dreams." I didn't want anyone to know, but I needed to have someone to talk about it. Minho looked surprised and ran his hand through his hair. "What do you mean? What kind of dreams? What do you remember?" He was getting curious, and I couldn't blame him. If his dreams only consisted of food that we don't have, then my dreams were more interesting.

"Well, it's not like I can remember the whole dream. Once I wake up, it fades away, and I can't remember it. I do remember that two guards grabbed me and dragged me off to some hospital room." Minho was quiet, and I could almost hear his brain thinking. "Do you think they are memories?" Minho looked at me with big eyes, and I saw the hope on his face. "I don't know, but when I came up in the box, I was all bruised up. It might be because of those guards." I grabbed Minho's arm and looked him in the eye. "Could you please not tell anyone? I don't even know if the dreams are real memories, and I don't want to be questioned by Alby." Minho let out a sigh and put his hands on his hips. "This could be important, Lizzy. I think you should tell it." I let my eyes drop to the ground with a sad look on my face. Minho pulled me into a hug, and I hugged him back, putting my arms around his waist. "I'm glad you told me, princess. I promise I'll keep this between us until you are ready to tell the others." I let my head rest on his chest and breathed in his scent. Minho smelled like the forest and fresh air. He kissed me on my head before he pulled out of the hug. "I have to go to the map room now to prepare for today's run. I'll see you at breakfast?" I nodded my head with a smile and watched Minho runoff. I should probably go to Frypan and help him with breakfast.

I was flipping pancakes when Newt walked up behind me and planted a kiss on my shoulder. "Hey, you. Were where you this morning?" I turned myself around and looked at him with shock. "What are you doing? Someone might have seen you do that. I thought we were a secret?" Newt took a step back and laughed at my shocked face. "No worries, nobody saw. I just walked past Frypan getting more eggs." I let out a sigh of relief and went back to making more pancakes. Newt wrapped his arms around my waist before planting another kiss on my neck. I giggled at the touch of his lips. "You should stop before Frypan walks in on you doing that." Newt quickly gave one last kiss and took a step back right before Frypan came back. 

My face turned red like a tomato, so I kept my focus on my pancakes. "Something wrong, Newt?" Frypan asked as he put the eggs on the counter. "No, just checking in. I'll see you at the table soon, Lizzy." He said before walking away with a big smile on his smug face. "Something is going on between you two." He smirked before leaning against my counter next to me, trying to get me to look at him. I turned away from him, placing the pancakes on a big plate, my face still burning red. "Nothing is going on, Frypan. Newt's just checking if I am ok." I told him, but he let out a chuckle. "More like checking you out, sister." He laughed and bumped me in the shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't tell." I let out a sigh before I joined Frypan in his laughter. I have to tell Newt to be more subtle before the other boys figure out that we like each other. 

All of them were super excited about having pancakes for breakfast. I've gotten a lot of thank-yous when handing them out. When all the boys had some, I filled my plate and went over to our table. I saw Newt and Chuck, but Minho was nowhere. I sat next to Chuck, who gave me a big smile. "Where is Minho?" I asked as I was looking around to see if he was maybe sitting somewhere else. "Minho went running the maze already. He has to do two sections because of Ben." Hearing Ben's name made me sad, the poor boy was still in pain, and I was out here eating pancakes with friends. 

"Ben will be alright, Lizzy," Newt said while putting his hand on my arm. I didn't know if Newt meant Minho or Ben. "Oh, by the way, Lizzy, I cleaned your clothes!" Chuck said excitedly before handing me over my ripped jeans and tank top. "Thanks, you know next time I'm willing to help you." Chuck gave a big smile and pointed at the shirt I was wearing. "Maybe after breakfast, we can go wash the clothes you're wearing now. Is that pancake batter on your shirt?" I looked down at my shirt and noticed I have been a bit messy in the kitchen. "My shirt," Newt said with a smirk that made me blush. Chuck seemed oblivious to the tension between Newt and me. I cleared my throat and focused on Chuck again. "Sure thing Chuck. I'll take a shower first and change into clean clothes. I'll meet you back here in 30 minutes?" Chuck nodded his head and went to clean up our empty plates. Chuck always seemed to be the one who had to clean up. Maybe that was also part of his Slopper job. "Need a guard while you shower?" Newt asked while we got up from our tables. "Do I have a choice?" I asked him while I bumped into his shoulder playfully. "Not really." He said with a smirk before throwing his arm around my shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

_"Do I have a choice?" I asked him while I bumped into his shoulder playfully. "Not really." He said with a smirk before throwing his arm around my shoulder._

I quickly took a short shower and changed into my clean jeans and a tank top. I stood in front of the mirror to take a look at myself. The bruises on my arms were gone, and the bruise on my cheek was only visible if you knew it was there. I decided to braid my strawberry blonde hair before stepping out of the bathroom. When I was outside, Newt was no longer there. Instead, Gally had been standing there. "Hey, where's Newt?" I asked him while I looked around for Newt. "Alby came to get him. They had something to discuss, so Newt asked me to stay here." He said while he was tapping his foot. "Oh, ok, thanks, not just for this but for everything." Gally smiled as we started to walk back to the kitchen. "Maybe we could hang out sometime. You could teach me how to build something, like a chair or something." Gally let out a laugh. Hearing him laugh made me smile because he usually seemed so moody. "I'm sure I can teach you sometime."

Chuck came running to us with a bunch of clothes in his arms. "Hey Lizzy, you ready to go wash these clothes?" We said goodbye to Gally, and I followed Chuck into the woods. We made our way to a small river. There was already a washboard there, so I'm assuming this is the spot where chuck does the washing. "So why are we washing it here at a river, instead of at the bathroom?" Chuck threw the clothes in a big bucket that was already there. I took my dirty clothes out of my backpack and threw them inside the bucket as well. "Because in there guys kept interrupting or threw me out because they wanted to shower. Here I can work in peace." He smiled and grabbed one shirt to wash it in the river. I grabbed one for myself and followed his example. We worked in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. 

"Did you tell Newt about the note yet?" I had hoped Chuck would have forgotten about the note from Thomas. "No, not yet, didn't seem like the right time yet," I said, as I took another shirt to clean. "You know Newt has a thing for you? I mean, I see the way he looks at you." Chuck said, trying to hide his little blush by busying himself with a pair of pants. "So I have been told," I said with a smirk. If only Chuck knew, but Newt and I promised to keep it between us. "So don't you think he would be upset over the note?" I thought about what Chuck said. Would Newt get jealous over a note from some guy I don't even remember? "It would just complicate things if I told Newt." Chuck looked at me and just smiled. "I promise I won't say anything." He said before splashing me with a bit of water. "Oh, you didn't!" I laughed before getting up and kicking the water to splash Chuck.

When we walked back to the homestead to hang up the clothes to dry, Chuck and I were both soaking wet. Washing the clothes turned into one big water fight between Chuck and me. After hanging up all the clothes, we went to lie in the grass in the middle of the Glade, just letting the sun dry us up. We were staring up at the blue sky. "You know this would be a lot more fun if we had some clouds to look at," I said while turning my head to look at Chuck. "Yeah, it would, but I've been here for a month now, and I've never seen a cloud or rain." I looked back up at the clear blue sky, thinking about what Chuck said. "I don't think that's normal. At least not from what I can remember about the weather." Chuck just agreed with me and closed his eyes. I closed my eyes as well and was just about to take a nap when the sound of a blazing alarm made us both jump up.

I put my hands over my ears and yelled at Chuck. "What the hell is going on?" Suddenly all the boys came running towards us and stopped at the box that was near us. Newt was running with his limp and came to a stop when he spotted Chuck and me. The alarm had died down. "Newt, what the hell was that?" Newt looked just as confused as me, and so did Chuck. "That was the greenie alarm, but it's not supposed to go off," Newt answered as we followed him. Gally made his way through the boys and stood next to Newt and Alby. "What's going on Alby, why are we getting a new greenie?" Alby just shook his head. "Shuck, if I know." All the boys seemed anxious as we were waiting for the box to arrive. We heard the elevator come up and slowly coming to a stop. Newt and Gally opened up the doors.

Chuck and I were standing a bit behind so we didn't saw the boy that was inside. "Too bad it's not another girl, right?" Chuck said as he nudged my shoulder. "Yeah, too bad." I grabbed his hand because I was kind of nervous about this new boy. What if he was crazy like Bill. I mean, I trusted the boys in the Glade now, but what if this new guy was dangerous again? Chuck squeezed my hand and smiled at me. I heard Gally welcome the new guy to the maze. Chuck was curious, so he dragged us between the boys so we could see the new guy. The new guy was looking confused and was looking all around him. When his eyes landed on me, my heart dropped.

"Thomas?" His name was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I had no idea who this guy was, but the moment I looked into those brown hazel eyes, I knew his name. He squeezed his eyes at me and looked confused, but I could see the change in his eyes when he looked at me. "Lizzy?" I squeezed Chuck's hand harder, and he looked at me just as confused as I felt. "Hold up. You two know each other?" Alby stepped between us and looked from me to Thomas. I quickly answered. "No, not at all. I don't know what's going on." I took a few steps back as Alby's scowl was scaring me. "You need to start talking, greenie." Alby turned his attention to Thomas, who was still looking around him at the walls. "Dude, I don't know. What even is this place? Why am I here? Why can't I remember anything? What's going on?" Thomas was firing questions at Alby, and that only made Alby's scowl worse.

Gally was the one to speak up. "You need to slim it, greenie." Newt let out a big sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Look Greenie, all you need to know for now is that your memories are gone, and we call this place the Glade. You don't get to ask any more questions until you've had the tour, which I will give you after lunch." Newt grabbed Thomas by his shoulder and guided him towards the kitchen. Chuck and I wanted to follow along, but Alby grabbed me by the arm, causing me to let go of Chuck's hand. "Geez, what's your problem?" I snapped at Alby before realizing my mistake. "The problem is that you know that guy. You knew his name. How?" Alby might have been squeezing my arm a little harder than he had to. "I told you already. I don't know. You need to let go of my arm." Alby looked at me with suspicion before releasing my arm. "If you are holding back information, Lizzy, then you need to tell me." I shook my head and looked at Chuck. "I'm not. I don't know how I knew his name. I just did." Chuck looked down at the ground, not wanting to give himself away to Alby. Chuck knew about the note I got from Thomas. I was thankful that Chuck decided to cover for me. "We need to go have lunch now." I grabbed Chuck's arm and dragged him with me to the kitchen.  
"You lied to Alby just now, Lizzy," Chuck said while looking at me with concern in his eyes. "I know Chuck, but him knowing about the note isn't going to help the situation. It would only confuse more." Chuck let out a sigh and decided not to push me.

We grabbed our plates and let Frypan put a sandwich on them. Chuck and I walked over to our table where Newt was sitting with the new Greenie. I took a seat next to Newt, and Chuck sat down next to Thomas. Newt was explaining to Thomas how things worked around here. This place is called the Glade, and this is where we live, eat, and sleep. I was just about to take a bite out of my sandwich when we heard Ben's cries coming from the homestead. Ben only seemed to be getting worse instead of better like Newt had told. Thomas stood to his feet and looked shocked. "What the hell was that?" Newt sighed and told Thomas to sit back down. "That's nothing you need to worry about." Chuck couldn't keep his big blabbing mouth shut. "That's Ben. He's been stung." I felt Newt kicking Chuck under the table. "What?! He's going to find out anyway." Chuck said before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Stung? By what? Is he dying?" Newt was getting frustrated by his questions. "As I told you, it's nothing you need to worry about, so stop asking questions." I had kept quiet this whole time and was casually gazing over at Thomas from time to time. The guy seemed so familiar. Like the memory of him was in the back of my head, but I couldn't quite reach it. I wondered if he felt the same about me. He had said my name, so that had to mean something, right? My mind kept going to the note that I had found inside my backpack. It had been from Thomas, saying that he loved me. Where we lovers before all of this happened? Or was it like a family member saying, I love you? 

I felt my head spinning with so many questions. I hadn't even noticed that Newt was waving his hand in front of my face. "Are you there, love?" I snapped out of my thought train and focused on Newt's face. "Yes, sorry, what?" Newt just chuckled and smiled. "I said I'm going to give Thomas the tour now before he drives me crazy with his questions. Will you be ok?" I nodded my head and looked over at Thomas. He was looking right back at me with this look like he was trying to figure out who I was. "Yeah, sure, I'll be fine. I'll go to Gally in a bit." Newt gave my arm a small squeeze and got up from his seat to show Thomas the Glade. Chuck leaned over the table to whisper to me. "Are you ok? Is that the Thomas from the note?" I gave Chuck a small smile before sighing. "I'm fine, really, and I don't know Chuck. It's not like he will remember writing that note. His memory is wiped just like ours." Chuck stood up and collected the empty plates. "I guess so. I'll see you later, ok?" he said before going back to his Slopper work.

I made my way over to the builder's place near the forest, a few boys were busy building another table for the kitchen area. Gally was sitting on a tree trunk, giving them instructions. "Hey there," I said before sitting on the ground. Gally's face turned a bit brighter when he saw my smile. "Hey yourself. Did you come to entertain us or watch these shanks fail at building something as simple as a table?" he said, earning a few glares from the boys who were struggling to keep the table steady. "Well, you did promise me to show me how to make my chair. I came to collect that promise." Gally laughed and got to his feet, motioning for me to follow him. "Alright then, first we will go get some wood. You're lucky we already cut some today." Gally showed me their wood collection, showing me different kinds of planks and twigs. We took a few planks that Gally deemed chair worthy, and Gally explained a simple design to me. He gave me a hammer and a few nails. "I'd say go for it." After 30 minutes, I finally finished, and Gally applauded for me. I took a bow to make it extra dramatic. "Thank you, thank you, I would like to thank my dear friend, Gally, who without his instructions and wisdom I would have never finished." The boys started laughing, and Gally nudged me in the shoulder. "You did a good job, but this is not Oscar-worthy yet Sister," he said, laughing, before turning my chair. Gally crouched down behind my chair, and with a small knife, he carved my name in the back. "Thanks, Gally." When he got to his feet again, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. "Anything for you, sis," he said as he put his hand in my hair when I let my head rest on his chest. 

"There is something else we need to talk about, Elisabeth." Gally released me from the hug and looked me straight in the eyes with a serious look. "Sure, what's wrong?" His sudden mood change made me think it was something serious. "The new Greenie. I think he is bad news, and you should stay away from him." I had a surprised look on my face. How could Gally know Thomas was trouble when he only met him like 2 hours ago? "Why would you think that?" Gally let out a sigh and grabbed me by the shoulders. "I can't explain. Just promise me, you'll be careful around him." I nodded my head as Gally let go of my shoulders. "Ok, I promise. Now can I take my chair with me and put it at the head of my table?" I said with the biggest grin ever. Gally laughed at the stupid grin on my face. "I'll carry it for you."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_Gally laughed at the stupid grin on my face. "I'll carry it for you."_

I was sitting proudly in my chair, waiting for someone to notice me. I had to sit at the head of the table now because it was a picnic table, and I couldn't remove one of the benches without destroying the table. So from now on, I'll have to sit at the head. I smiled as I turned around in my chair to look at the carving that Gally made on the back. Chuck and Thomas went to sit on the bench at our table. I was grinning like an idiot and waited for Chuck to notice my chair. "Hey Lizzy, Newt told me to show Thomas around after his tour. Show him where he can sleep and stuff." Chuck smiled at Thomas, but Thomas was staring into nothing with a gloomy look on his face. I didn't mind him much attention. I was still grinning at Chuck. "Don't you notice anything, Chuck?" I said, nearly jumping on my chair of excitement. "You're not sitting in your spot?" He said while pointing to the spot where I usually sit. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. "Look at my chair! I made this afternoon with Gally." Chuck jumped up from his seat and took a closer look at my new chair. "Oh, it even has your name on it!" Thomas laughed at our childish laughter about a chair. It was the first time since he came up that he didn't have such a gloomy look on his face. It was a good look for him. When Thomas and I locked eyes, I felt a spark go through my body. I quickly averted my eyes and looked at Chuck, who was sitting next to Thomas again.

"So how come you are the only girl here?" Thomas asked with his serious face again. "I don't know. I'm the first girl that got sent up here." I was trying not to look him in the eye and was looking at my hands instead. I felt his gaze on me and decided to take Gally's advice and keep my distance from Thomas. "I'm going to find Newt. I'll see you guys at dinner." I stood up from my chair before they could respond and made my way over to the gardens. I saw Newt working in the garden in the distance, so I picked up my pace and nearly ran towards him. "Hey, Newt," I said before sitting in the grass near him. "Oh, hey, love. How's your day going?" He said with a big smile on his face while he was still pulling weeds. "It's been good. I made a chair with Gally. So now I will sit at the head of our table in my chair." I said with a stupid grin. I should make more stuff since it was boosting my confidence. "Really? That's awesome, love." Newt was still picking weeds while I was mindlessly plucking at the grass. His long blonde hair kept getting in front of his eyes, so he had to keep running his hand through it, resulting in him smearing mud on his face. He was only wearing his tank top again with ripped jeans. He looked so good, as his muscles kept flexing when he pulled on the weeds. I was staring at his body so much that I hadn't noticed that he had stopped pulling weeds and was smirking at me. When I saw his eyes on me, I felt a blush coming on. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare like that." I said, trying to hide my blush. Newt walked over to me and stuck out his hand to help me to my feet. "I'm sure you didn't, love. Come, I want to show you something in the shed."

Newt picked up a few tools to bring to the shed. Dinner time was closing in, so I guess he was cleaning up for the day. He opened the door to the shed and let me inside. It wasn't too big inside but large enough for a few storage cabinets and space for the garden tools. It didn't look all that special to me. I moved towards one of the cabinets and dusted off the surface with my hand. "So what did I need to see in here?" I said to Newt as I turned around. Newt had already put away the tools and was now standing a lot closer to me than I thought. "This." He said as he put his hand on my cheek and pressed his lips against mine. I was a bit surprised. I had not expected this. Newt and I had only been kissing inside his room because we wanted to keep it a secret, and now here he was kissing me inside a shed. He pulled me against him to deepen the kiss, and I gave in. Newt tasted so good, and the way his body pressed against mine was just breathtaking. We broke the kiss to get a breath of air. His hair was wild because I had been running my hands through them. Without saying a word, I tugged on the end of his tank top and lifted it over his head. "Now that's something worth seeing," I said with a smirk before letting my hands roam all over his naked chest. Newt pushed me against one of the cabinets and lifted me, so I sat with him between my legs. I pulled him in for another kiss while letting one hand strangle his hair, and my other hand was going over his back. I could feel his muscles moving beneath my touch. His hands, in return, were moving all over my body. I felt one of his hands coming to a stop on my butt, groping it softly. His other hand was fumbling with the bottom of my tank top. Newt broke the kiss and gasped for air. We were both breathing heavily and had a blush on our faces. "Now aren't you glad I showed you the shed, love?" Newt said with a big smirk on his face. His brown eyes were eyeing me over as I softly nodded my head. "You're so freaking beautiful." His lips were on mine again before I could respond. I couldn't get enough of this. 

I felt Newt put one hand underneath my tank top. I flinched at the touch of his hand on my bare stomach. He stopped kissing and put his forehead on mine. "Is this ok?" His hand was still on my stomach but had stopped moving since I flinched. My chest was rising and falling with my heavy breaths. Newt was panting as well, and his face looked flustered. He looked so cute. "Yeah, it's fine, don't stop," I said as I moved closer to the edge of the cabinet. Closer against Newt. I felt the bulge in his jeans against me now, causing Newt to moan at the pressure of my body. His hand on my stomach slowly made his way up to my breast. I felt Newt cupping my bare breast with his hand, and it caused me to moan into the kiss.

A shock went through both of us when we heard screaming coming from outside. We looked at each other shocked, and Newt quickly pulled on his tank top. I straightened my shirt and jumped off the cabinet. Newt was already opening the door. "Come on. We have to see what's going on." We ran towards the wall where a few of the boys were standing, watching Gally and Thomas. Chuck was also there, trying to get Gally to calm down, while Thomas looked like he got pushed to the ground. "What in the bloody hell is going on?" Newt asked while looking confused, and his hair was still kind of messed up because of me. "Green bean here tried to take a closer look at the Maze. I just stopped him from doing so." Gally said with a smug look on his face. Thomas scoffed while getting to his feet. "I wasn't doing anything wrong when this nut job threw me to the ground out of nowhere!" Thomas was rubbing his arm. The fall had hurt him. "Alright, just calm down, both of you." Gally had already turned his back on Thomas and was storming off into the forest. I hadn't seen Gally that mad before, so I wondered why he was so upset with Thomas. I know he told me to stay away from Thomas. Could Gally know something about Thomas that we didn't?

"What is this, a welcome party? Just for me?" Minho said with a smirk as he came running out of the Maze. "I mean, I know you guys miss me when I'm gone but..." Minho got a smack on the head from Newt. "Who's this shank?" Minho said to Newt while pointing at Thomas. "Didn't you hear the greenie alarm when you were in the Maze? We got a new greenie, and that's him." Thomas looked like deer caught in headlights. He was looking Minho over but also kept looking back at the corridors of the Maze. "That's not normal; Lizzy's only been here like what, four days?" Minho said but then shrugged it off. "Whatever. I'm going to the map room. See you later, Shanks." I waved to Minho, and he gave me a quick wink when he ran past me. "Tommy, you need to stay out of trouble. Otherwise, Alby will put you in the Slammer." Thomas just nodded his head and went on his way with Chuck following him. "I'm going to go help Frypan make dinner now," I said to Newt as I grabbed his arm to get his attention. "You sure want to do that and not go back into the shed with me?" Newt said with a boyish grin on his face. "Stop, you're going to make me blush in public," I said while punching him in the arm. "But I like it when you blush." He leaned in to whisper that part in my ear. I felt my cheeks blush and quickly cleared my throat when a few boys walked past us."I'm going to Frypan now before I drag you back into the shed." I said while laughing, and Newt smiled at me.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_"I'm going to Frypan now before I drag you back into the shed," I said while laughing, and Newt smiled at me._

Frypan assigned me to make a cake as a dessert. I had to make like four cakes to be able to feed all the boys. Frypan made dinner all by himself while I was messing around with the cake. By the time dinner time came around, I had my cakes done and cut them up into pieces. I took a plate with mashed potatoes and veggies from Frypan and walked over to my table. Chuck and Thomas were sitting on one side and Newt and Minho on the other. I went to sit in my chair at the head of the table. "It's a good thing I made this chair. Otherwise, I had to sit on someone's lap." Minho laughed at what I said before I realized I had said it. "You're always welcome on my lap, princess." I stuck my tongue out at Minho and laughed. "Smartass." Newt chuckled and gave me a wink.

Thomas was still his serious self while picking at his food. His eyes widened when he heard the walls closing. "What the hell is happening?" He nearly got up from his seat, but Chuck tugged him back down. "Just the wall closing, green bean," Minho said casually while taking another bite from his dinner. "Closing? How is that possible?" Thomas asked while Newt sighed. "It just is, Tommy. Accept it and deal with it." I could sense that Newt was getting fed up with Thomas asking so much all the time. I couldn't blame Thomas, there was still a lot of stuff they hadn't told me yet, but I learned to keep quiet and observe for the most part.

"I don't know how you guys just deal with it. What's it like out in the Maze?" Thomas directed that question at Minho as he had seen Minho run out of the Maze. "Its walls and vines and more walls. Nothing special." That answer did nothing for his curiosity. "How do you become a Runner?" Minho laughed and shook his head. "Don't even think about becoming one, greenie. You don't become a Runner. You get picked to be a Runner." Thomas only wanted to know more and more, but Minho grew tired of his questions. "Look, you need to slim it on the questions, dude. You'll first get to try out for other jobs. You should just focus on that for now." Thomas let out a sigh and decided he had asked enough for now.

I had been bumping my leg against Newt's this whole time, causing him to smirk at his food. I could feel I had a faint blush on my face, but I tried to act casually. Thinking about what happened in the shed made me smile. Newt had been so amazing with me, and the way his hands feel on my body was so good. I had to snap out of this before my face will turn as red as a tomato. "So, Newt, do I still need a babysitter all the time?" I asked with puppy eyes. I didn't mind having someone with me all the time or sent to someone, but I would like some alone time sometimes. "I'll have to ask Alby, but I'm sure you can roam alone now. That is if you promise to not get in trouble." He said with a smile while bumping his leg into mine. "Or try to run into the Maze," Minho added a bit more seriously. "Oh, please, Minho. I've learned from that mistake. I promise to stay out of the Maze." The last time I ran for the Maze, I bumped into Minho and hurt my head. And after seeing the griever, there is no way they are getting me inside the Maze. Chuck and Thomas went on their way, and Minho went to join the other runners. Newt and I were the only ones left sitting at the table.

"What do you think about Thomas?" Newt asked me out of the blue. "I don't know. I haven't talked much with him. Why?" I didn't know why Newt would ask me. Thomas has only been here a few hours. "Gally told me something, as did Ben. I don't think you know this, but Gally went through the changing too. He claims he has memories of Thomas." I was fiddling my hands together. I don't why but knowing this made me nervous. Do I need to tell Newt about my dreams? Or should I talk to Thomas first? "Are you ok, love?" Newt grabbed my hands to keep them still. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I think I'm going to go take a shower before bed, ok?" Newt nodded and gave a small kiss on my hand.

I got up from my chair and walked to the forest. Newt didn't follow me, for which I was thankful. I didn't want to lie to him or be nervous about what I can and cannot say.

After my shower, I walked out of the bathroom, only to see Thomas sitting alone against a tree. He looked tired, and his hair was hanging messily. Now would be the time for me to talk to him and find out what Thomas knows and if he knows anything at all. "Hey, Thomas," I said while sitting down next to him. "How are you doing? I know it's a lot to take in on the first day." He had his arms resting on his knees. "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess. Considering we are in prison," He said while his gaze landed on me. His hazel brown eyes didn't seem scared as I expected, but rather determined. "That's your theory about this place?" I chuckled, but Thomas didn't find it funny. "Just think about it. Why else would they trap us in here with no way out?" he said, convinced of his idea. I did believe we are trapped but not that it was a prison.

"Come on. We are just a bunch of teenagers. It's not like we look like some hardened criminals." Thomas thought about what I said and sighed. "I guess you're right, but there has got to be a reason why we are send up here." I was happy that I wasn't like Thomas. It's not that I had accepted being stuck in here but more like I am making the best of it. Thomas, however, seemed determined to get out of here and solve the mystery. "Can you remember anything? Maybe a few flashes or something?" I knew my question was a long shot, but I had to ask. "I remember my name. I remember that I know you, but I don't know how or when I knew you." So he did feel that familiar feeling with me as I had with him. "I think I knew you too. Before all this happened, I mean." I gave him a small smile and gave a gentle squeeze in his upper arm before getting to my feet. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep." Thomas nodded before wishing me a good night.

I got to the room I shared with Newt, I saw he wasn't there yet. So I pulled my jeans off and went looking for a shirt from Newt to wear while sleeping. It didn't take me long to find a clean shirt I could use as my pajama. I plopped down on the mattress and felt a bit alone without Newt next to me. I tossed and turned a few times and was distracted by the moans filled with pain from Ben a few rooms down the hall. I wished Ben would feel better soon. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the memories of Ben looking awful. I fell asleep not long after that.

_"You wanted to see me?" I said when I walked into her office. She was wearing her favorite white dress, and her blonde hair was in a tight knot. "Yes, dear, please sit down." She said with a sweet voice and pointed to a chair in front of her desk. I sat down as she was scrambling through some pages on her desk. "I wanted to be the one to tell you first, dear. This decision has not been easy for me, but you have to understand how important it is." I didn't understand where she was going with this, so I just kept quiet and listened. She let out a sigh and seemed to be looking for the right words. "What's wrong?" I nervously asked. She was starting to worry me a little. "We are going to have to send you inside of the Maze." My heart dropped, and my brain had a malfunction. "The-The Maze?" I stuttered when I felt my brain working again. "But why? I was never a candidate for the trials." Tears were whelming up in my eyes, and I saw the concerned look on her face. "Recent study showed us we could gain more kill zone information if we change the world of those boys drastically. You don't need to know the full details. I just wanted to tell you in time so you would have a chance to say goodbye to your friends. And to Thomas." Tears were running down my cheeks now. I couldn't believe she just signed me up for my death. There is no way I am going to survive that Maze. "Thomas?" I said with a small voice. It would break his heart. "I know you two have been getting a lot closer lately. So I know this must be hard to take in but think about the good work you'll be doing. Helping us find a cure." She had walked around the desk and had put a hand on my shoulder for comfort. I knew she was right. If there was a chance for a cure, then I had to do whatever was necessary. "I don't want them to know. At least not yet." I told her as I wiped my tears away. "I understand. You're doing the right thing, Elisabeth." She gave my shoulder a small squeeze and then returned to her seat. "Just remember, dear. Wicked is good."_

When I woke up, the words of the blonde lady were still in my head. Wicked is good. I have no idea what it means. I couldn't remember the dream, only a few words or flashes. The blonde-haired woman seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember how I knew her. I was lying on my side, and I felt Newt spooning me from behind. I hadn't noticed him coming to bed at night. I figured Newt would need his rest, so I slowly crawled out, doing my best not to wake him up. I pulled on my jeans and shoes and decided to keep Newt's shirt on. I slowly and quietly made my way out of the homestead and made my way to the bathrooms. I went to the toilet, and when I finished, I stood by the sink, looking into the mirror. My strawberry blonde hair was messy. I brought my blue backpack with me and looked for the hairbrush that was inside. While I was combing my hair, I heard the door open. I hadn't locked it because I only went to use the toilet and not the showers. In the mirror, I saw that Thomas was the one who came inside.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know someone was inside." He said while he gave a small smile. "It's ok," I said while still combing my hair. Thomas settled for leaning against the wall while he was waiting for me to finish. His blue shirt was hugging his body in the right way, and his brown hair was still messy from sleeping. "So they gave you a hair comb? Lucky you." He said while crossing his arms, trying to make a conversation. "I'll let you borrow it if you need to style your hair," I said with a small laugh and a mocking voice. The only other boy that cared about his hair in here was Minho. And I still have no idea how he manages to get his hair that perfect. "No, I'll be fine," he chuckled. "My hair is the least of my problems." As he said that, his eyes went to the ground, and his smile disappeared, his mind occupied with our prison situation.

I put the comb back into my backpack and turned around to face Thomas. I took a step toward him and put my hand on his upper arm. "Are you still having a hard time accepting all this?" he let out a sigh before turning his hazel brown eyes back on me. He was at least a head taller than me, so I had to look up at him with a concerned look. He just seemed so lost. "It's the not knowing that's driving me crazy. I need to know why this is happening. I had this weird dream last night, which felt like a memory." I took in a sharp breath when he mentioned dreaming, which made Thomas lift one eyebrow. "You have them too, aren't you? Dreams that feel like memories?" I shook my head and tried to act casually. "No, I don't know what you mean." He took me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes with his hazel brown ones. "You don't have to lie to me, Lizzy. You can trust me." When he touched me, I felt that familiar spark through my body. He let go of me and looked at me, shocked. "You felt that too, didn't you?" he said, looking confused and searching my face for confirmation.

"I don't want to lie anymore, Thomas. I just can't talk about what I think I know. It's too confusing, and I don't know what's real and what's not." I wanted to talk to Newt about this first before I tell Thomas more. His face went soft like he was feeling sorry for me. "Maybe if you talk about it, it will clear things up," Thomas said before putting his hand on my shoulder again. "I won't push you, but we do need to start talking about this connection we are feeling." I sighed and knew that he was right. It won't do us any good if we just ignore it. I walked to the bathroom door and locked it, causing me to receive a confused look from Thomas. "I don't want anyone else to see this," I told him when I grabbed my backpack and started looking for the note. When I found it, I stuck it out to Thomas so he could read it.

_Lizzy,  
I'm sorry I wasn't there when they took you.  
We will do everything we can to keep you safe.  
 **Don't go inside the Maze.**  
I love you,  
Never forget that.  
Thomas_

I saw his eyes darting over the note again and again. "So this is from me? I can't remember writing that." He gave it back and put his hand through his messy hair. "I don't see any other Thomas here, so my guess is on you, yeah." I shoved the note back into my backpack before looking back at Thomas. He seemed even more confused than before. "So, now what do we do? I haven't shown this to any other boy other than Chuck." Thomas leaned his tall body back against the wall letting out a breath he had been holding. "Well, it does explain why you feel so familiar. We were more than friends once." He said with a small blush. I had only met the guy yesterday, but I already felt so comfortable with him, which made me feel guilty because I am secretly together with Newt. Maybe Gally was right, and I should stay away from him, but somehow I know that the attraction to him would only keep drawing me to him. It was confusing being near him. I hardly know him, yet every fiber of my body wants to get over to him, kiss him and tell him it will all be alright. I wonder if he feels that same tension.

"I'm going to tell Newt later today about my dreams, I think. I've been holding this information for too long already." Thomas nodded his head and took a deep breath. "If we ever want to get out of this place, then we have to start by being honest." I nodded my head in agreement and walked over to the door to unlock it. "So, where does that leave us?" He asked with his hand behind his head. "I don't know. I guess we start over as friends and figure it out along the way." He gave a small smile that was adorable. "I'm ok with that." I gave him a smile before walking out the door into the morning sun.


End file.
